Projects using Arduino technology — the small, single-board microcontroller — are popping up all over the place, and the ways it's used are getting more interesting and diverse, from miniature satellites to artistic earthquakes to interactive spandex.

One of the more recent projects utilizing the open-source technology is Nama, "a motion-sensing soft-circuit interface". Developed by Brazilian design student Luiz Gustavo Ferreira Zanotello, Nama also features five accelerometers and conductive thread that work with the Arduino to capture data and wirelessly transfer it to a computer in real time. That data can then be transformed into feedback and used for a variety of applications, such as an art installation (seen above).

Zanotello doesn't discuss Nama's more 'practical' applications, but if the blanket were outfitted with significantly more sensors, the data would be that much richer. It could provide an interesting way to monitor a sleeping child, or ensure that a tarped-over piece of land remain covered, among many other things.