Dot² isn’t your typical coffee table
Coffee tables are useful for putting coffee, food, or perhaps way too much junk on, but it’s 2017—we can do better than that! Akshay Baweja certainly has at least with Dot², an interactive piece of furniture that can run animations, display lighting effects, and play old-school games.
The Arduino Mega-based table features a matrix of 296 LEDs that shine up through sections of diffused acrylic, and uses a grid of foam board strips to keep each light in a square. Dot² can be controlled either by a PC running GLEDIATOR software, or via a smartphone using a Bluetooth connection and its own custom app.
The outside doesn’t look too shabby either. With an interesting wood pattern on the side, even when off it seems like there could be something more lurking just below the table’s glass!
Want to build one of your own? Head over to this incredible project’s Instructables page to get started. And, if you’d like to know more about how it’s controlled, check out Baweja’s app here or GLEDIATOR’s site for the computer software he used.
January 20th, 2017 at 22:08:18
I think you mean 196 LEDs – 14 x 14.
June 25th, 2017 at 02:07:04
I made one- 5-6 out of legos and arduino. it’s so much fun! I built a big lego wall around a lego board, with holes for wires, and put red LEDs, 5 across, two down, on one breadboard, blue LEDs on another, and white LEDs on a third. then I wired it, built a cardstock paper grid with slotted strips, put the grid on, and covered it with parchment paper. It looks cool, but not as good as yours. How will I make myself break it apart? I don’t think I can.