An automatic, real-life Rickroll machine for under $200

Rickrolling may now be more than an Internet meme, after an engineer built a $200 device that can Rickroll anyone who wanders within six feet of it.

 

Computer engineer Zach Rattner built the physical Rickroll device dubbed Rroll using an Arduino board hooked to a six-foot ultrasonic sensor.

 

"If you walk into the range of the sensor, the device starts playing the infamous song 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley. If you walk away, the song is paused so that it can restart when you walk back in range. It’s simple, ingenious, and downright hilarious," tech site TheNextWeb reported.

 

It said Rattner spent $189.33 on the device, which included an Arduino board, an MP3 Player Shield, a micro SD card, portable speakers, an ultrasonic sensor, three AAA batteries, a 9V battery an aluminum enclosure, and glue.

 

Mashable also posted a video of the device in action:

 

The video credits For Orchestra’s cover of Astley’s song, while a second video shows Rattner singing the song to record the vocals for his device.

 

"Rroll is entirely battery-powered so you can hide it anywhere you can think of. Take a minute to ponder that for a second. Imagine all the places you could put the little device to Rickroll your unsuspecting friends and colleagues," Mashable said.

 

The Rickroll meme involves baiting a victim into clicking on a link that he or she is made to believe is relevant to a topic he or she is following.

 

But once the victim clicks on the link, he or she is led to a video of Astley's 1987 hit. The victim in this case is described to have been Rickrolled. — TJD, GMA News