# 365: Barbed Wire Fence and Great WiFi

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2021-03-12
- Length: 1h 02m
- Episode: 365
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-03-12-365-barbed-wire-fence-and-great-wifi
- Listen: https://embedded.fm/episodes/365

## Summary

Cy Keener, an Assistant Professor of Sculpture and Emerging Technology at the University of Maryland, discusses his work creating custom sensors and data-driven art installations, including his 'Digital Ice Core' project in the Arctic. He explains how he uses Arduino-based circuits, ATmega microcontrollers, and Iridium satellite transmitters to collect environmental data from harsh environments like sea ice and ocean drifters. Keener details the engineering challenges of power management in extreme cold, the use of flexible PCBs with thermistors and RGB sensors, and his collaboration with sensor maker Lovro Valcic. He also reflects on his transition from traditional art to tech art, his NSF grant for deploying open-source sensors, and the role of art in communicating climate change.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-03-12-365-barbed-wire-fence-and-great-wifi#t=7) Introduction and Lightning Round
- [5:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-03-12-365-barbed-wire-fence-and-great-wifi#t=350) Digital Ice Core and Arctic Sensor Deployment
- [17:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-03-12-365-barbed-wire-fence-and-great-wifi#t=1062) Rain Recorder and Data Visualization
- [22:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-03-12-365-barbed-wire-fence-and-great-wifi#t=1323) Learning Arduino and Electronics at Stanford
- [25:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-03-12-365-barbed-wire-fence-and-great-wifi#t=1534) Art vs. Science and the Definition of an Artist
- [40:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-03-12-365-barbed-wire-fence-and-great-wifi#t=2448) Wind Sensor Installation at Jasper Ridge
- [44:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-03-12-365-barbed-wire-fence-and-great-wifi#t=2646) Ocean Drifters and Satellite Communication
- [50:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-03-12-365-barbed-wire-fence-and-great-wifi#t=3054) Climate Change, NSF Grants, and Future Deployments

## Topics

- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- Arduino (other)
- ATmega328 (chip)
- BMP280 (chip)
- Adafruit GPS (product)
- Lovro Valcic (other)
- Bruncin (company)
- Iridium (other)
- Particle (other)
- RockBLOCK (product)
- Mikal Hart (other)
- Arduiniana (other)
- Autodesk (company)
- Eagle (tool)
- Fusion 360 (tool)
- AutoCAD (tool)
- SparkFun (company)
- Adafruit (company)
- NOAA (company)
- National Science Foundation (company)
- Xerox PARC (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep 158: Phased Array Physics, CRTs Two Ways, A Micro Microcontroller, and a Surgically Implanted Red Herring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2022-03-04-ep-158-phased-array-physics-crts-two-ways-a-micro-microcontroller-and-a-surgical) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Episode 151: Robots to study the ocean - Simona Aracri](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-04-10-episode-151-robots-to-study-the-ocean-simona-aracri) (Robot Talk)
- [Ep 323: Impossible CRT Surgery, Fuel Cells, Stream Gages, and a Love Letter to Microcontrollers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-05-30-ep-323-impossible-crt-surgery-fuel-cells-stream-gages-and-a-love-letter-to-micro-a749ff00) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Greg Charvat Returns With A Book! - Laboratory Literature Laureate](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2014-01-08-greg-charvat-returns-with-a-book-laboratory-literature-laureate) (The Amp Hour)
- [Ep035: LED Cubes Taking Over, Ada Vanquishes C Bugs, Rad Monitoring is Hot, 3D Printing Goes Full 3D](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-09-12-ep035-led-cubes-taking-over-ada-vanquishes-c-bugs-rad-monitoring-is-hot-3d-print) (Hackaday Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-03-12-365-barbed-wire-fence-and-great-wifi. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Embedded.fm.