Arduino-Powered Cicada Warning System by @WNYC’s @Radiolab

Our neighbors at WNYC’s Radiolab are working on a cicada tracker. Here on the Eastern Seaboard, one particular breed of cicada, Magicicada Breed II (I’m not making that up), emerges every 17 years from their hibernation period, makes a lot of noise all summer long, and then dies. The last time this happened was 1996, which means we’re due for another Cicada Summer this year.

To help track the cicadas as they emerge from hibernation, Radiolab has crafted some custom hardware, built around an Arduino, and shared the instructions online.

You can learn more about the project by watching the video above. There’s also this discussion yesterday from the Brian Lehrer Show with NPR’s John Keefe.

You can find many of the materials required to make this circuit in our ARDX kit. We also sell a suitable thermistor.

This is a great project to do with your kids — and the opportunity will only come around once every 17 years, so get tracking!


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