Goal: $50,000
Funding Period: until April 4, 2015
Creator: Piper
Budding engineers can be empowered to create and learn about building technology with Piper, a toolbox that lets people of all ages build electronics while playing Minecraft. The kit allows users to build electronics with real-time feedback in the game. Individuals can build anything using their imaginations that will appear in the game, like a controller to navigate a robot in the game, an LED light proximity sensor for finding diamonds, adding switches to uncover secret doors and bridges, adding motion detectors when traversing underwater levels, and a lot more!
Piper allows users to build a fully working computer, which is fully customizable from color to decoration. After turning it on for the first time, users are sent to a modified Minecraft world, where they are sending a robot to an unknown planet. On the way, its hardware gets damaged (oh no!), so it’s the user’s job to build its hardware in real-life to control it on the screen. The schematic on the screen shows how to build and gives realtime feedback to add buttons and wires correctly. From there, users take full control, and can build anything they want to navigate their Mindcraft world.
The kit was designed for kids as young as 5 and adults as old as 75 to play with. The concept is based on three principles: Physical, hands-on building; easy for anyone to get started; and as fun to play as other mobile and social games. Although an instructions manual is included, it is easy to explore and learn without it.
Piper includes a laser cut and custom designed plywood case; a Raspberry Pi 2 (a micro-PC) with a case; a powerbank to power the screen and Pi; cables to connect the screen, Pi, and powerbank together; USB mouse; an 8 GB SD card; and electronics, like wires, buttons, lights, sensors, and switches.
Kickstarter donations range from $9 to $5,000 and prizes include limited edition T-shirts, a personalized case for the Pi, a Piper Toolbox with all of its accessories, backer keychains, a visit from the team to demo 10 Piper toolboxes, and more.
Click here to support Piper!
