The Raspberry Pi 3 is the third generation Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi 3 replaced the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B in February 2016. It comes with 1GB RAM, 4 USB ports, 40 GPIO pins, Full HDMI ports, Ethernet port, a combined 3.5mm audio jack and composite video, Camera Interface (CSI), Display Interface (DSI), Micro SD card slot (now push-pull rather than push-push) and VideoCore IV 3D graphics core. Compared to the Raspberry Pi 2, it has A 1.2GHz 64-bit quad-core ARMv8 CPU, 802.111n Wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.1 and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
The Raspberry Pi 3 model can be used in schools and general use as well. In this post, we do a round-up of the 6 coolest projects of 2016 that were done using Raspberry Pi 3.
Jasper Voice Control
Jasper is an open source platform for developing always-on, voice-controlled applications. You can use your voice to ask for information, update social networks, control your home and more. Jasper is always on, always listening for commands. You can speak from meters away and Jasper will still recognize it. Why not use Raspberry Pi 3 to make your own mini Alexa (remember the Amazon Echo)? Using Raspberry Pi 3, a mic and speakers, you can actually build your very own version of Alexa.
Selfie Booth
This one’s become quite popular of late. People love clowning in a digital photo booth at parties, weddings and then sharing them online. The selfie booth puts Raspberry’s touchscreen and Wi-Fi capabilities to the test. The touchscreen can be controlled by party-goers and the module will automatically email the photos and even upload them to Google photos. Using Raspberry Pi 3, you can setup your very own selfie booth!
RetroPie
RetroPie allows you to turn your Raspberry Pi or PC into a retro-gaming machine. RetroPie builds upon Raspbian, Retroacrch, EmulationStation and many other projects to enable you to play your favorite Arcade, classic PC and home-console games with minimum setup. It also provides a large variety of configuration tools to customize the system as you want. Retropie sits on top of a full OS – you can install it on an existing Raspbian or start with RetroPie image. Using RetroPie built on Raspberry Pi 3, you can actually enjoy classic games.
Personal Cloud Storage
You can actually have your own personal cloud storage to protect your confidential information and other files. Raspberry Pi 3 is powerful enough to get you started on building your own cloud. All you need is an internet connection, an external hard drive and of course the Raspberry Pi 3.
TimePeace
This is a clock built to reassure people with Alzheimer’s about day of week and time of day. People diagnosed with Alzheimer’s constantly tend to ask what day of the week it is. They are unable to truly get the sense of time, walking in the night wondering about the day. Worse, their feeling lasts for days. Timepeace comes to the rescue and says the day of the week and time of day, along with a reminder of where you are. “It’s nearly lunch”, “early evening” etc. You can build your very own TimePeace with a Raspberry Pi 3.
RPi Fishing Quadropter
RPi Fishing Quadropter is a waterproof quad-copter fully built around a Raspberry Pi equipped with a Navio 2 board. It uses a RPi Cam V2 and a home made gimbal to provide full HD stabilized video stream in flight. And it has a built-in drop system to transport fishing lines to where the fishes are. With powerful LEDs, you can even use this at night.
Already tried one of these cool Raspberry Pi 3 projects? We would love to hear about your experiences!