Smart can crusher
posted Jul 10th 2009 1:55pm by Caleb Kraftfiled under: arduino hacks, home hacks
[Mangonha] has put together this interesting project involving aluminium can recycling (translated, sortof). They’re using an arduino to tally up how much aluminium they have accumulated. That information is then passed on and displayed on a google map. There are families that go around collecting the cans as a means of income, and this system could be very helpful to them. They state that their goal is to eventually have restaraunts and more families included. We’re a bit curious about how helpful this really is. How is that information actually changing the actions of the collectors? Would a simple flag on your door or window signalling enough cans to pick up or not be just as effective?
[via the Make flickr pool]
The obvious advantage over a flag on the door is a visual representation of all pickup locations. This way, you wouldn’t waste a drive across town just to check for flagged doors.