Makey Makey Go is an example how creativity can sell – and with a crowdfunding target met around 5x over, there are a lot people who think it can really sell.
At first glance, the product looks like your average jump drive and a cheap alligator clip. The alligator clip part is accurate, but that USB drive is actually a plug-and-play device that can interpret electrical signals as mouse clicks, spacebar pushes, and more.
What does that actually mean? Makey Makey Go allows everyone from kids to inventors to set up everyday objects that can interact with computers (mix in a smartphone, and they may even be able to interact at a distance). Anything that holds an electrical charge can be used, which leads to crazy things like using a donut as the spacebar for your laptop, or a pile of jello as the mouse.
It’s fun – and perhaps a good way to teach kids about basic electrical engineering and computer science. But Makey Makey Go gets truly interesting when inventive people start mixing it up with some simple coding and new software applications.
The list of real-world creations is a very long one, but here are a few examples: A dog that can start Skype conversations by nuzzling a tinfoil heart; a slackline connected to a laptop that measures how long someone stays on the line for contests; a water slide that snaps a selfie photo as you stream past; and a tinfoil sword that records a point when it makes skin contact.
Clearly, imagination is the limit here. If it sounds like a worthwhile investment to you, then you’ll be happy to know that one of the best features of Makey Makey Go is the price: You can get one for just $20. The hardest part is probably convincing amateur inventors to man up and buy something that’s officially called “Makey Makey Go.”
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