Washington23 - Breaking News and Updates

Arduino and iPhone-based Piggy Bank by Wang Chao, Maggie Kuo and Jordi Parra
This little piggy bank is an electronic monster whose wild mood swings can only be appeased by a credit card. Yes, this might sound just like the behavior of trophy wife of a Hollywood star, but it is in fact a rather sweet project executed by students at the Umeå Institute of Design in Sweden.
The Piggy Bank gets agitated when it detects nearby people, or if it is moved. Its eyes flicker into life, looking much like a sad puppy, and to “feed” it you slot in a credit card. Money is deducted and stored in a savings account. Sated, the little piggy goes back to sleep.
The project, by Wang Chao, Maggie Kuo and Jordi Parra, was built in just two days. The controller is an Arduino, and the case is a beautiful laser-cut wooden box. To keep up with time constraints, the display inside is an old iPhone. When the accelerometers detect movement, the box wakes up, and the iPhone’s screen displays mood-appropriate googly-eyes. When the card is inserted, the Arduino sends the information via Bluetooth to a nearby computer, which in turn sends data back over Wi-Fi.
Is it practical? Hell no. Is it a fun way to save some money in a soulless, cashless world? Maybe. And is it a lot more lucrative than its spiritual predecessor, the Tamagotchi? Yes. Yes it is.
Piggy bank [Zenona via Oh Gizmo]
See Also:

Why Arduino Is a Hit With Hardware Hackers
Just What Is An Arduino, And Why Do you Want One?
DIYers Get a Treat With Top 40 Arduino Projects
No Change? Buy Candy With PayPal, Your Phone and Twitter
Can Your Daughter Do This? Super-Awesome Sylvia's Super-Simple …

Fuente: Gadget Lab