Online matchmaking has taken the internet by storm as mobile dating applications like Tinder attempt to take the work out of locating a soul mate. As of mid-2014, Tinder is rumored to have around 10 million daily active users making it a prime target for automated spam bots. The real spammers surely use coded attacks, but this robot is a fun example of a hardware-based attack. [Andrew] built it to be an automatic heart-shaped, button presser.
The device began as a single finger robot-hand project that was inspired by ‘InMoov’, which as their website states is “the first life-size humanoid robot you can 3D print and animate.” An Arduino Uno and servo motor laid the foundation for the system. After which, the joints of the 3D printed finger were assembled in place so that a touchscreen stylus could be attached. Once coded, the little robot was able to ‘like’ a new profile every 4 seconds. This adds up to approximately 900 likes per hour.
The project is cute, and shows one way that fake profiles can be elevated on the Tinder platform. An article written on Symantec’s blog describes a few other instances of spammers flirting with you via the Android app. This post is a continuation of an article released a year prior, yet Tinder has not addressed the issues relating to fake profiles since then.
Let’s try to focus in on the good. With a bit of additional ingenuity, this device could be transformed into a love searching robot that could choose between people. Get a camera hooked up with a face-recognition program, and add some user preferences so that the robot isn’t just hitting ‘like’ over and over, and we might be able to get some interesting research done. Still, it feels like it would be better to go meet people face-to-face.
Check out the video of the bot in action after the break, then let us know what other silly things you could do by targeting different apps.
Kinda cool to see the articulation, but couldn’t you just do this with the stylus strapped to a motor?
Pieces of foil taped to the screen that attach to GND via FETs or relays like the game hack featured a while back. http://hackaday.com/2014/07/26/pwning-timberman-with-electronically-simulated-touchscreen-presses/ no motors required at all really.
No hardware required either. At least with Android you can send swipe commands via ADB shell.
More efficient https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QUH5G3t8Qs&list=UUX9LOMwhbSLbRq5VlC_7SRg just wire alligator clip the foil to some wire shelving and you’re good to go.
“Online matchmaking has taken the internet by storm”
1998 called, they want their cliche back.
There has *GOT* to be a better way to structure internet dating.
this only works for losers who dont get matches
So the guy is really lonely and is desperate for a date right?
“Get a camera hooked up with a face-recognition program, and add some user preferences so that the robot isn’t just hitting ‘like’ over and over”
It might be my inner SJW talking here but to me that reads like “with a little work this project could be upgraded to racism”
Just like to point out that my mate and great artist Tully Arnot made something similar back in May using a creepy silicon cast of his finger: https://vimeo.com/93852159
Micropython board with servo. Foil alligator clipped to wire shelving to increase capacitance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QUH5G3t8Qs&list=UUX9LOMwhbSLbRq5VlC_7SRg
Whoops! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QUH5G3t8Qs&list=UUX9LOMwhbSLbRq5VlC_7SRg
>Online matchmaking has taken the internet by storm
and as usual with those services being an LGBT person will get you b& from site quickly.
Are you sure? Looks like it is well liked in the LGBT community with lots of success stories. It sounds more like a perception problem than an actual concern. No one is being banned ‘as usual’ from dating sites for not being heterosexual.
Try to post pictures of your dong or corn hole and see how long you last on a typical straight dating site.
One day perhaps the majority of dating site users will be robots, or maybe they already are. It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy to think of all the 3D printed robots and strips of foil skipping down the street, hand in hand (finger in alligator clip?) having found their perfect match.
Why use hardware when you can make it via software? There are macro apps like :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prohiro.macro
Or automate it inside the android emulator. This is exactly what my friend did. He follows the “like everyone, sort out who you don’t like after” philosophy of tinder.
You could do the same thing with a USB cable and adb. There’s a command to take screenshots and a command to trigger touch events, IIRC.