MESH Offers A DIY Platform For Non-DIYers

If you've ever been jealous of all the fancy and creative things hobbyists and makers have been doing with their Arduinos and what have you, but really don't have the patience or the skill for assembling and soldering, someone has just heard your prayer. MESH almost sounds and looks like a toy, but if so, it's a very smart toy at that. It offers non-intimidating modules and an easy to use, drag and drop programming interface to give you an appetizer of what you can do with the right tools and a bit of imagination.

MESH is actually made up of two parts. The most important ones are the smallest. These MESH tags server as input and output modules that can be attached to almost any surface or device to create MESH's magic. At the moment, there are only four such Tags available. The Button Tag is what you'd expect, a module with a button that can send out an activation signal either in a single press, double press, or long press pattern. The LED Tag has three colors but you can mix any color by combining those red, green, and blue colors in different lighting patterns. The Acceleration Tag can detect movement, whether it be a shake, a flip, a tap, or a rotation and send an appropriate signal.

The real fun probably begins with the most advanced module of the set, the GPIO Tag. This one opens MESH up to a lot possibilities as this general purpose input/output module connect to almost any contraption compatible with a 10-pin configuration. It also has Bluetooth LE for wireless connection and can be charged via micro USB. The creators of MESH plan to add more Tags in the future, including IR, light sensor, motors, and more.

The other half of the setup is the MESH Canvas, which is basically an iPad app that acts as the programming interface for the modules. But don't worry, no programming knowledge is required. Everything can be performed using drag and drop, connecting modules to triggers and actions. With the Canvas, you can, for example, fire off an e-mail message when the Acceleration Tag is moved, like when opening a door, or send a light signal from the LED Tag when the Button Tag is used.

Right now, MESH is at Indiegogo looking for $50,000 in funding. It has 24 days left and only $11,000 more to go. An early bird pledge of $105 will get you a basic set, with one Tag of each kind but without the GPIO Tag, which costs an additional $55. The Advanced set that has all of those costs $169. If all goes well, backers will get their kits by May this year. The campaign is set to Fixed Funding so backers will only get charged if it manages to reach its funding goal in time.

SOURCE: Indiegogo