The seven of us couldn't be happier to say bye bye to 2020. Through this international and physically distant collaboration, we used the internet to trigger the destruction of six small parts of 2020. Here you'll find information about each of the themed mini-projects!

8 Bits and a Byte - An Internet Controlled 2020 Smusher

Dane and Nicole's project satisfyingly smushes the numbers “2020” made out of playdough with 3D printed fire. The thing doing the smashing is something that’s also had more than enough of the past year: planet earth! 

2020 has been a horrible year, so what better way to say goodbye than to kill it with fire? The planet is voice-controlled and reading out Hannah’s text message activates the destruction of 2020. To share the fun with the rest of the world, we’ve made the contraption controllable via the internet! You can read more about the build on Instructables.

Hannah Makes' grilled paneer:

Hannah carved the numbers 2020 out of paneer cheese and threaded them onto a pre-soaked wooden barbecue skewer. The skewer was friction fit into a 3D-printed disc with a magnet set into one of the faces, which was held against a corresponding magnet set into a similar part fitted onto the servo motor. Two wooden pillars supported either end of the skewer over a barbecue grill. The microbit behind the barbecue had a 5-minute countdown on its screen, with EL wire to spell out "Goodbye in" just before it. Once the project was triggered, the microbit sent a signal to the servo to begin rotating, and the cheese roasted like this for five minutes, before the microbit sent a signal to stop the servo. The skewer could then be easily lifted off the wooden supports thanks to its magnetic attachment to the servo.

For testing, the microbit was paired with a phone, and a button press in the iOS app started the program.

Hannah was planning to use an IFTTT applet with SMS message as a trigger, and "make a web request" as the action, to connect with the DFRobot's microbit IoT module and their package for the MakeCode editor. By making the web request a POST to an EasyIoT URL, it's possible to save data to a "topic" that the microbit is subscribed to – then have the microbit switch on the servo/enact some code when it "sees" that message.

Ian Charnas - Goodbye 2020 Pyrotechnics with CNC

Ian, ever a fan of off-season fireworks sales, embedded various purchases into a sheet of CNC routed particle board, which were then covered with white paper to hide the contents until they were revealed.

Natasha / TechnoChic - Knitting Destruction Machine:

Natasha knitted a face mask out of yarn and drew “2020” on it with a permanent marker. She built her knitting destruction machine out of cardboard, a large button, a toy motor, and a USB power supply. The motor was connected to a rubber band belt that spun an empty wooden spool glued to a wooden dowel. Natasha added “Bye Bye 2020!” to the button with permanent marker. She tied the end of the yarn to the spool and pressed the button to unravel the knitted mask. Underneath the mask revealed another silver sequin mask with “2021” written in shimmery vinyl text, a reminder that we’ll still have to rock masks in 2021!

Make It And Fake It - Tomato Chopping Robot Arm

Clarissa's tomato chopping robot arm is has a 3D printed frame designed in Tinkercad, and is powered external through a 5v USB power pack. The two servos are powered through the 3.3v pin in the Arduino itself. While not a recommended method of power distribution, movement and light tomato chopping action are still achievable. The push button, when pressed, starts the servers programmed movement, and then returns to its original state, ready to chop again.

Becky Stern - Candle with 3D Printed Mold and Metal Ornament Reveal

Becky created a 2020 candle made using a 3D printed mold. As the year melts away,...