Samwise Makers' News
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Open Book Touch Makes Crowd Funding Debut
The Open Book Touch, Joey Castillo's fully open-source e-reader, has launched its crowdfunding campaign on Crowd Supply at $149. Unlike proprietary e-readers, it runs DRM-free on an ESP32-S3, giving makers complete control over the hardware and software. The device features an e-ink display, physical page-turn buttons, and a design philosophy that prioritizes repairability and user ownership. The campaign hit 60% of its funding goal within days of launch, showing strong community enthusiasm for open alternatives to locked-down commercial readers. For makers who want to understand or customize every layer of their reading device, this project delivers exactly that.
Fibrous Muscles for Humanoid Robotics
MIT Media Lab researchers have published a breakthrough in soft actuator technology: Electrofluidic Fiber Muscles (EFMs) that mimic the behavior of biological muscle fibers. The work, published in Science Robotics, uses electrohydrodynamic (EHD) pumps embedded within flexible polymer fibers to produce impressive force-to-weight ratios without any gear mechanism. Unlike pneumatic or cable-driven systems, EFMs can be woven into textile-like structures, enabling robots that move more naturally and compliantly through the world. The research opens a promising path toward humanoid robots that interact safely alongside humans — with actuators that bend, flex, and recover much the way real muscle does.
2026 Frikkin Lasers Challenge: Laser Bandsaw
Hackaday's 2026 Frikkin Lasers Challenge has spawned some inventive entries, and this one reframes laser cutting as a bandsaw. The build centers on a NUBM44 7W blue diode laser module — a favourite in the DIY community for its high power density — mounted on a custom copper heatsink and housed in a 3D printed frame. Rather than scanning a workpiece with CNC motion, this design passes material by hand through a fixed beam, guided by a fence. A box knife blade serves as the beam dump behind the cut zone. It is a clever, low-cost approach that proves that serious cutting power does not always demand gantry hardware.
Benchmarking Repairability Scores With an Asus Tablet
France's Indice de Reparabilite has become a reference point for repairability policy, so what does it actually measure? Hackaday digs into this question using the Asus ROG Flow Z13 GZ302EA as a test case. The tablet received a perfect 10/10 from France's scoring system — a figure that sounds impressive until you compare it to iFixit's independent assessment of 7/10. The French system rewards manufacturers for publishing repair documentation and offering spare parts, but does not heavily penalize designs that are physically difficult to open. The analysis highlights how repairability scores can vary dramatically depending on what a framework actually measures and values.
Project Gestalt: A Nier-Inspired 64×64 RGB Matrix Display
Inspired by the glowing orb companions of the Nier: Automata universe, Project Gestalt by Arnov Sharma is a self-contained 64×64 RGB LED matrix display packed with personality. The project features several animation modes, including a sound-reactive WaveForm visualizer that responds to ambient audio in real time. Housed in a compact 3D printed enclosure with a diffuser panel, the display is driven by a microcontroller with custom firmware written to handle smooth animation transitions. Everything from the schematic to the code is documented on Hackster.io, making it a strong starting point for anyone interested in building expressive, interactive RGB matrix art of their own.
Sources: Hackster.io Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
GroveNFC Based on RP2040: Multi-Protocol NFC for Makers
The GroveNFC module brings full NFC read, write, and emulation capability to the RP2040 ecosystem. Supporting all four major NFC protocols — ISO14443A, ISO14443B, ISO15693, and FeliCa — the board handles everything from MIFARE Classic card reading to NFC-V tag emulation. Unlike simpler NFC breakouts that support only a single standard, this Grove-format module is designed for makers who need genuine protocol breadth. Built around the RP2040 microcontroller, it fits the popular Grove connector system for easy integration with existing maker platforms. Code examples and wiring documentation are provided on Hackster.io, giving newcomers and experienced builders alike a straightforward path into multi-protocol NFC projects.
Sources: Hackster.io Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Handwritten Math Solver Uses MyPalletizer 260 Robot Arm
Elephant Robotics has published a project that merges handwriting recognition with physical robotics: a system that reads handwritten arithmetic, solves it computationally, and then physically places digit cards in the correct answer position using a MyPalletizer 260 robot arm. The 4-DOF tabletop arm uses PaddleOCR to recognize handwritten digits from a camera feed, passes the expression to a solver, and then picks and places pre-labelled digit cards onto the answer square on a grid. It is a satisfying closed-loop demonstration that spans computer vision, machine learning inference, and physical manipulation — a good template for educators building interactive robotics demonstrations.
Sources: Hackster.io Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Top Crowdfunding
Crowd Supply
1. Open Book Touch — >60% funded, $149 (just launched)
2. Modos Flow — 343% funded, 7 days left, $601K raised
3. QuadRF — 221% funded, 35 days left, $221K raised
GitHub Trending
Makers & Hardware
None this week — live data unavailable
Upcoming Events
Maker Faire Edmonton — July 17–19, Edmonton AB
Crowd Supply Teardown 2026 — July 24–26, Portland OR
Maker Faire Bay Area — Sept 25–27, Mare Island Shipyard
Curated by JD · samwise.agency