Do you watch Iron Man and think to yourself, "Man, it would be totally awesome if I had an electronic personal assistant like J.A.R.V.I.S."? Well one nerd took it upon himself to create just that.
While this isn't exactly movie news, maybe it'll inspire some of our more tech savvy readers to go buy a few sensors and circuits and toss something together like Chad Barraford did. According to <="" href="http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2010/04/06/chad_barrafords_digital_life_assistant_project_jarvis_is_indispensable/?page=fullThe">, Barraford has wired his home to greet him upon entrance, announce the weather, track which Netflix he has at home, and even cook a hot dog in the Foreman grill. Before you wipe the "Holy Shit" off your face, hear this. Thinking all other DLAs (digital life assistants) to be over priced and hokey, Barraford's system has only cost him $691.98 to date. Sure his Jarvis won't show a digitally dismantled engine, or extinguish him after a failed flight in his Iron Man suit, but it will dim the lights and send alert emails to Chad's boss and girlfriend if Chad ever texts it with the news that he is coming home with a migraine. Still realistically awesome.
The system will do much more, like controlling the heat in the apartment, informing him on the whereabouts of his dog, and keeping him informed of the latest news stories. Shockingly, Barraford is self taught in the field of electronics. His degree is from UMASS-Dartmouth but is in psychology, about as far from IT work as you can get. He did almost all of this on his own, which means you can too.
Looking for the true Iron Man experience? Then scrape up about $700 bucks, stalk Chad on Facebook and ask politely for instructions on how to turn a 4-year-old Mac Mini and a few extra components into a talking digital assistant to integrate into your life. Chad says he's not about to share his code just yet, but his concepts can be viewed at ProjectJarvis.com if you're looking to be inspired. Be a man, be an Iron Man, and build yourself a J.A.R.V.I.S, and be the baddest mutha in your apartment complex. Check it out below.
