[Alessandro G.]

If there is one thing I have seen plenty of in the comments section of BLOCKS Kickstarter campaign, it's ideas. I have seen backers posting their thoughts about Uis, apps, shells and new modules, the real topic of this thread. Then something came to me: I can have the most brilliant idea for a module, but if I know nothing about components, wiring, programming, etc., how am I doing to turn that idea into a reality? So I thought to start this thread with this particular purpose: help those with an idea to see if it can be turned into a module and how to do it.
So enough with the intro and down to how I think this should work. You got an idea but you have no or not enough know-how (I know nothing about programming, for instance) on how to make a module out of it? Post your idea here, and let's see if combining the knowledge of the community we can find a way to make that module feasible! My only request is: as this is a thread of the hardware development section, I think our posts, other than the ones providing ideas, should focus on the technical feasibility of a particular module rather than being simple suggestions, as there is another section for those. So don't worry about going full technical here, that's why this thread exists in the first place!
By the way, a small personal note: as I said, I know nothing about programming, but I've a decent amount of knowledge and experience with electronics in general, so I might provide help in the hardware side of development.

[Seyi Agboola]

Just to add to this, I have a "Idea" spreadsheet so anything I see will be added and as a community we will do what we can make it a reality. This is one of the main motivations for this

[Alessandro G.]

(01-22-2016, 04:02 PM)Seyi Agboola Wrote:  Just to add to this, I have a "Idea" spreadsheet so anything I see will be added and as a community we will do what we can make it a reality. This is one of the main motivations for this

Thanks! I started this thread with the idea in mind that you had such a "list" somewhere. Being this a thread of the developers section, people who know a thing or two about electronics could help pointing out technologically or commercially infeasible modules, to help you guys (and all possible developers) to focus only on those with a real chance to become a reality!

[Seyi Agboola]

(01-23-2016, 11:14 AM)Alessandro G. Wrote:  

(01-22-2016, 04:02 PM)Seyi Agboola Wrote:  Just to add to this, I have a "Idea" spreadsheet so anything I see will be added and as a community we will do what we can make it a reality. This is one of the main motivations for this

Thanks! I started this thread with the idea in mind that you had such a "list" somewhere. Being this a thread of the developers section, people who know a thing or two about electronics could help pointing out technologically or commercially infeasible modules, to help you guys (and all possible developers) to focus only on those with a real chance to become a reality!

Great to hear, this thread could get very interesting soon. As I tend to get emails with deep technical theories on new types of modules to bring to market. Something that may interest those who want to great hardware with BLOCKS.

[Alessandro G.]

I feel quite "alone" at the moment in this thread, but I was thinking about something technical so I thought my own thread was the best place to discuss about it.
What about Bosch Sensortec BME680? It's a new sensor that should become available in Q1 2016, made specifically for small devices and wearables. It's a tiny 3.0 x 3.0 x 0.95 mm3 8-pin sensor, that measures temperature, humidity, pressure (and altitude through it) and air quality, all in one! It makes its little brother BME280 (whose well behavior I can personally vouch for) look really bad. Anyway, this is a link to its description: Bosch BME680. If I'll manage to get my hands on one soon, I'll probably have to send the Adventure module into early retirement. No hard feelings, but this sensor is two modules in one!

[Fuwo]

The "air quality"-part sounds really interesting.
A few weeks ago there was a indiegogo campaign for AtmoTube, a little device for the key chain to track and monitor air quality. I asked them if it would be possible in the future to develop a Blocks module, the answer was that right now it would take a way to much R&D so no.

But with this sensor... well, if AtmoTube does not develop a module... Rule of the market: supply and demand.
Is Blocks maybe able to use this sensor in the Adventure module instead of the right now planned one?
And if not, well, I would definitely dump the Adventure mod for your new module.

[Alessandro G.]

(01-31-2016, 09:25 PM)Fuwo Wrote:  The "air quality"-part sounds really interesting.
A few weeks ago there was a indiegogo campaign for AtmoTube, a little device for the key chain to track and monitor air quality. I asked them if it would be possible in the future to develop a Blocks module, the answer was that right now it would take a way to much R&D so no.

But with this sensor... well, if AtmoTube does not develop a module... Rule of the market: supply and demand.
Is Blocks maybe able to use this sensor in the Adventure module instead of the right now planned one?
And if not, well, I would definitely dump the Adventure mod for your new module.

The sensor hasn't been officially released yet, Bosch only provides very small test batches to interested parties, so that they can start working on them before the official release. There's really no way for the team to totally change the design of the Adventure module at this point, and even if they were, the BME680s wouldn't likely be available soon enough for their manufacturer to start the production. I don't know if they're gonna use it in a module in the future, but I'm certainly going to try and make a DIY one as soon as I get my hand on one of these sensors. The BME280 was quite easy to integrate in a system and required just a bunch of common components, so I don't expect this 680 to require much more work. Programming would probably be the worst part of the whole thing for me, but with the already existent Adventure module and so many experts in programming on this forum, I'm confident I wouldn't have many issues on that side either. Well, I'll make sure to show my progresses as soon as I start making something. Well, after the SDK has been released, clearly.

[CubicalProductions]

(01-21-2016, 06:11 PM)Alessandro G. Wrote:  If there is one thing I have seen plenty of in the comments section of BLOCKS Kickstarter campaign, it's ideas. I have seen backers posting their thoughts about Uis, apps, shells and new modules, the real topic of this thread. Then something came to me: I can have the most brilliant idea for a module, but if I know nothing about components, wiring, programming, etc., how am I doing to turn that idea into a reality? So I thought to start this thread with this particular purpose: help those with an idea to see if it can be turned into a module and how to do it.
So enough with the intro and down to how I think this should work. You got an idea but you have no or not enough know-how (I know nothing about programming, for instance) on how to make a module out of it? Post your idea here, and let's see if combining the knowledge of the community we can find a way to make that module feasible! My only request is: as this is a thread of the hardware development section, I think our posts, other than the ones providing ideas, should focus on the technical feasibility of a particular module rather than being simple suggestions, as there is another section for those. So don't worry about going full technical here, that's why this thread exists in the first place!
By the way, a small personal note: as I said, I know nothing about programming, but I've a decent amount of knowledge and experience with electronics in general, so I might provide help in the hardware side of development.

I think the personal "holy grail" of the sensor systems you described could be a "tricorder" module (parodying the name of the popular all-in-one sensor device used in Star Trek). There's only so much hardware that you can fit into a device, but I for one think it would be pretty cool for EMS technicians and emergency medical personnel to be able to get immediate information about a patient by holding a few of the modules over them or get general information about the environment they are in.

Just a thought.

[Alessandro G.]

(Today, 03:06 AM)CubicalProductions Wrote:  I think the personal "holy grail" of the sensor systems you described could be a "tricorder" module (parodying the name of the popular all-in-one sensor device used in Star Trek). There's only so much hardware that you can fit into a device, but I for one think it would be pretty cool for EMS technicians and emergency medical personnel to be able to get immediate information about a patient by holding a few of the modules over them or get general information about the environment they are in.

Just a thought.

Yeah many mentioned possible "pro" uses of BLOCKS. In another section we were discussing the possibility to integrate a radiation detector or advanced air quality sensors into it. Issue is, BLOCKS is a consumer-grade product, like all common smartwatches, smartphones, etc. Professional applications would require it and its modules to have a level of precision, safety, tolerance to hazardous environments etc., that are simply not of consumer grade equipments. At an amateur level we could do anything, but for the team to try stepping in the field of professional equipments, well, it would be a commercial suicide if you ask me.

[Snyper493]

I can agree with you there about commercial suicide. I have seen products go that way ad bring financial ruin for the company. On the other hand, There have bee some amazing success stories out there, but that is a specific penny in a jar kind of situation. But as I said in my own topic earlier, someone might get the bright idea to build one of those modules and possibly make it instead a module, a small unit for personal use. I found out that someone made a small dosimeter open source, and it was quite small, about twice the size of a possible module. It was quite innovative. The guy that made it is in Russia,

Now on another note, some things might become possible in the next few years as things come to light and as we said earlier about Blocks, new modules come out as technology advances and as technology becomes smaller. Someone might have these modules we are talking about in the next two/three years. Blocks can and will go far with the fact that the Maker Movement is still going strong. Hell, I think Blocks came out of the Maker Movement with the help of Intel. That Make it Wearable challenge was superbly done and I hope other companies realize this and jump onto this.