Projects SHOWCASE
(^30) The Official Raspberry Pi Projects Book raspberrypi.org/magpi
A radio-frequency
identification (RFID) tag is an
inexpensive way of giving an
item its own unique, readable
code. Often confused with the
NFC technology that allows
you to touch your mobile
phone to pay at your local
supermarket or coffee shop,
an RFID tag is a fairly simple
piece of technology that can
either be active, maintaining
its own power source to allow
you to use it to find lost keys,
or passive, taking power from
an RFID reader to let you into
a locked building with the
touch of a plastic card.
RFID TAGS
The sound files vary from object
to object. Some play music, such
as the Planets prototype box;
home to seven identical wooden
balls, it is set to play one of the
seven tracks of Gustav Holst’s
The Planets suite. While the balls
lack any differentiation on the
outside, their insides are unique.
Boop a ball and the experience is
overpowering, thanks in part to
the beautiful effect of the USAF
Heritage of America Band as
the sound of their instruments
swells into life. Now imagine
if these balls were 3D prints of
the instruments that played
famous solos. Or imagine if the
ball was the 3D-printed bust of a
famous composer who narrates
the inspiration behind their
work as their music plays in the
background, captivating young
and old musicians alike.
Inspired education
It’s difficult to experience this
project without finding yourself
coming up with hundreds of your
own ideas for its use.
Given this inevitable excitement
and enthusiasm, the second
intention of the project comes to
life. Imagine if a classroom had
its own Museum in a Box, and,
alongside their brain box, the
students had a second box allowing
The approachable nature of the
Raspberry Pi brain could easily
allow for classes to code their
own Museum in a Box