IDK started out as a discussion one night at a maker space with the idea of adding some sensory interaction to a video game beyond the usual accelerometer or motion capture input. What ended up evolving from that discussion over the past year is a simple easy to use kit that allows software developers and creative thinkers to utilize a wide range of sensors and controllers so they can create a complete interactive user experience. The kit is easy to use for people with absolutely no electronics experience but also powerful enough for the advanced user.
We’ve built a standardized sensor module language allowing users to talk to all sensors in the same simple way. Typically similar sensors from different companies might use standard protocols such as i2c, spi or one wire, but the instructional bytes they use or “language” is different for each sensor, for example a temperature sensor from company X is going to have a completely different set of instructions to read the temperature than a temperature sensor from company Y. With the language we have developed this problem will be a thing of the past, you could for example start off with a lower cost sensor from one company to prototype your project then switch to the more expensive one with higher precision from a different company without making any changes to your code.
When using the sensor modules with our IDK hub it simplifies the process even further by reading all of the connected sensors automatically and formatting the data into a simple, efficient data packet which can easily be utilized by the developer in several different ways such as USB on Windows, OSX, Linux and works great with the Raspberry Pi, or use Serial or SPI on Arduino, Pic or any other microcontroller.
Specifications
- IDK Hub with 6 sensor ports and 2 expansion ports.
- Plug-n-Play Sensors and Control Modules.
- Uses standard USB cables, or for advanced users use the header pins to plug directly. into your Arduino, Pic, or other MCU.
- Cross platform compatibility: Windows, Linux, OSX, Android, iOS.
- Unity Game Engine integration / support.
- Open source for custom project integration; simple serial or tcp/ip interface protocol.
- Read sensors and control modules over the internet.
Initial Sensors, and Controllers
- Photoresist or
- Potentiometer
- Heart Rate
- Motion / PIR
- Proximity
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Capacitance
- Soil Moisture
- Generic Analog
- RGB LED Controller
- Servo Controller
- 16-Channel Digital IO
Production Plan
Once funding is successful and we have the final quantity for production, we send the final PCB design off to one of our regular PCB manufacturing and assembly partners.
We either order parts directly from one of our regular parts suppliers (Dig key, Mouser) or we will work with the assembly partner to ensure they have the proper BOM and instruction to source parts and assemble the final units.
We finalize our choice for the case manufacturer, begin pre-production, tooling, and prototype tests to ensure manufacturers quality and reproduction of the design. Once we are satisfied with quality we begin the large quantity production run.
Final units arrive at our office for packaging and shipping to backers.
Based on past experience we have accounted for typical lead times and add some extra padding for any issues we might encounter so we feel confident about being able to deliver to backers by September.
Read More: Interactive Development Kit