Home labs & card scanning

Atlas Sense

Camera, 9DOF, and 3× M5 Unit sensors — on any Atlas.

Sense clips to the back or lid of Atlas SP, DS, and Tablet. It adds the camera DS and SP need for QR-based iNQ Cards, plus a 9-axis motion sensor and three M5 Stack Unit ports — weather, motion, distance, light — so science activities use real measurements, not just animations.

Same philosophy as the rest of Atlas: one focus, gentle pace, and inquiry grounded in the senses — with data from the room, the yard, or the workbench.

What is Atlas Sense?

Atlas Sense is an add-on module that mounts to the back or lid of Atlas SP (single-screen), DS (dual-screen), and Tablet (classic). It does not replace the device — it extends it.

iNQ Cards are not supported on DS or SP without the Sense board. Neither device has a built-in camera; Sense adds the camera needed for QR-based card scanning. With Sense attached, iNQ Cards work on both.

Built-in capabilities:

  • ◇ Integrated camera — QR and card scanning, visual activities, and on-device processing only; no cloud upload.
  • ◇ 9DOF sensor — accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer for orientation, tilt, and motion-aware activities.
  • ◇ 3× M5 Stack Unit ports — plug in up to three M5 Unit sensors (environment, motion, distance, light, etc.) and use them in Atlas activities.

M5 Stack Unit Sensors

Atlas Sense supports up to three M5 Stack Unit sensors at once. Units use the Grove-style HY2.0-4P connector and are compatible with UIFlow and Arduino. Below are commonly used Units that work with Atlas Sense.

Unit ENV (U001) Temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. DHT12 + BMP280. I2C, PORT A.
Unit PIR (U004) Passive infrared motion detection. Human body sensing, ~500 cm range. Digital, PORT B.
Unit ToF Time-of-flight distance sensor. Range finding and proximity. I2C.
Unit Light Ambient light sensor. Brightness and daylight detection. Analog/I2C.
Unit ADC Analog-to-digital converter. Connect analog sensors (potentiometers, analog temp, etc.).
Unit RELAY Relay module. Switch external devices on/off from Atlas activities.
Unit Thermistor (NTC) Temperature sensing via thermistor. Good for ambient or surface temperature.
Unit RFID RFID 125 kHz read/write. Identify cards or tags for personalized activities.
Unit IR Infrared transmitter and receiver. Remote control or line-of-sight communication.
Unit Laser Laser time-of-flight distance. Precise range measurement.

Mix and match any three Units that use I2C or the supported digital/analog ports. New M5 Unit modules are released regularly; check M5Stack documentation for the latest list and pin compatibility.

Compatibility

Atlas Sense is designed to attach to:

  • ✓ Atlas SP (single-screen)
  • ✓ Atlas DS (dual-screen)
  • ✓ Atlas Tablet (classic)

Mounting is on the back or lid of the device so the main screen and controls stay unobstructed. Activities can use the camera, 9DOF data, and any connected M5 Units together — for example, a weather station with ENV, a motion-activated story with PIR, or a distance-based game with ToF.

Expand your home science stack

Atlas Sense

One module: iNQ Card scanning where it was missing, plus sensors for experiments you actually run at home.

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