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Introduction
MPC is an open protocol that can link Claude and other AI Apps to MATLAB using MATLAB MCP Core Server (released in Nov 2025). For an introduction, see Exploring the MATLAB Model Context Protocol (MCP) Core Server with Claude Desktop. Here, I describe my experience with installation and testing Claude-Code and MATLAB, a security concern, and in particular how I "taught" Claude to handle various MATLAB file formats.
Setup
A basic installation requires you download for your operating system claude-code, matlab-mcp-core-server, and node.js. One configuration is a terminal-launched claude connected to MATLAB. To connect Claude App to MATLAB requires an alternate configuration step and I recommend it for interative use. The configuration defines the default node/folder and MATLAB APP location.
I recommend using Claude itself to guide you through the installation and configuration steps for your operating system by providing terminal commands. I append Claude’s general description of installation for my APPLE Silicon laptop. Once set up, just ask in Claude App to do something in MATLAB and MATLAB App will be launched.
Security warning: Explore the following at your own risk.
When working with Claude App, Claude code, and MATLAB, you are granting Claude AI access to read and write files. By default, you must approve (one time or forever) any action so you hopefully don’t clobber files etc. Claude App believes it can not directly access file outside the top node defined in the setup. For this reason, I set the top node to be a folder ..../Documents/MATLAB. However, Claude inherits MATLAB App's command line privileges, typically your full system privileges. Claude can describe for you some work-arounds like a Docker container which might still be license validation compatible. I have not explored such options. During my setup, Claude just provided me terminal commands to copy and run. After setup, I've demonstrated it can run system level commands via matlab:evaluate_matlab_code and the MCP server. Be careful out there!
My first test
Claude can write a text-based .m script, execute it, collect text standard output from it, and open files it makes (or any file). It cannot access figures that you might see in MATLAB App unless they are saved as files or embedded in files. As we will see, the figures generated by a Live Script are saved in an Claude-accessible format when the Live Script is saved so the code need not itself export them.
In the screen shot below, the window at left is the Claude App after a successful connection. The MATLAB App window shows a script in the MATLAB editor that simulates a ballistics experiment, the script created successfully with a terminal-interfaced Claude and a simple prompt on the first try.
I deliberately but trivially broke this script using MATLAB App interactively by commenting out a needed variable g (acceleration of gravity) and saving the script to the edit was accessible to Claude. Using Claude App after its connection, I fixed the script with a simple prompt and ran it successfully to make the figure you see. The visible MATLAB didn’t know the code had been altered and fixed by Claude until I reloaded the file. Claude recommends plots be saved in PNG or JPEG, not PDF. It can describe in detail a plot in a PNG and thusly judge if the code is functioning correctly.
Live Scripts with Claude
What about Live Scripts (.mlx) and the (2025a) .m live? A .mlx file is a zipped package of files mixing code and images wtih XML markup. You can peek inside one and edit it directly without unzipping and rezipping it using a tool like BBEdit on a Mac, as shown below. This short test script has two interactive slider controls. You can in v2025+ now save a .mlx in a transportable .m Live text file format. The .mlx and .m Live formats have special markup for formatted text, interactive features like sliders, and figures.
Claude can convert a vanilla .m file to .mlx using matlab.internal.liveeditor.openAndSave(source.m, dest.mlx) and the reverse matlab.internal.liveeditor.openAndConvert('myfile.mlx', 'myfile.m’).
These functions do not support .m Live yet apparently. It would be great if they did.
Vanilla Claude doesn’t know all the details of the .mlx and .m formats yet. To teach Claude these formats, I created a simple .mlx with interactive features (sliders), saved it, and exported it to .m Live. I then sketched for Claude these structures. Claude digested these files and was then able to create such formats from scratch immediately. Wow! In the figure below, you see Claude on the left after creating a .mlx with sliders from scratch. The successfully executed Live Script appears in the MATLAB App.
Once Claude knows the .mlx format, it can peek inside a saved .mlx, process a PNG figure saved there, and describe it, as illustrated below. Here you see Claude describing a plot it found in the .mlx shown in the MATLAB window.
Wrap up
This summarizes my first look at using claude-code. The generation of simple MATLAB codes with the latest models is increasingly trivial with Claude, Perplexity, Open.ai GPT and other apps and the direct method of code and other file transfer between a native MATLAB and Claude seems to beat a copy-paste workflow. New methods to connect MATLAB Online with commercial AI's like Comet and Anthropic's Chrome extension seem to me more fluid and intuitive in that the user and the AI are co-working the same interface without copy-paste steps, but seem slower.
Appendix
Here are installation and setup instructions for Mac from Claude for reference.
Setting Up Claude Code + MATLAB MCP Server on Mac
Part 1: Claude Code
Install via npm:
bash
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Or via Homebrew:
bash
brew install claude-code
Run it:
bash
cd /path/to/your/project
claude
You'll need to authenticate with your Anthropic account on first run. Claude Code works in your terminal and can read/write files, run commands, and do agentic coding tasks.
Part 2: MATLAB MCP Server
Step 1: Download the server binary
Go to the MathWorks GitHub or File Exchange and download matlab-mcp-core-server for macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel depending on your Mac).
Step 2: Make it executable
bash
chmod +x ~/Downloads/matlab-mcp-core-server
Step 3: Create/edit Claude Desktop config
Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
json
{
"mcpServers": {
"matlab": {
"command": "/Users/YOURUSERNAME/Downloads/matlab-mcp-core-server",
"args": ["--matlab-root", "/Applications/MATLAB_R2025a.app"]
},
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
"/Users/YOURUSERNAME/Documents/MATLAB"
]
}
}
}
Replace YOURUSERNAME with your actual username, and adjust the MATLAB version if needed.
Step 4: Install Node.js (if not already)
bash
brew install node
Step 5: Restart Claude Desktop
Quit fully (Cmd+Q) and reopen. You should see a hammer/tools icon indicating MCP servers are connected.
Part 3: Verify Connection
In Claude Desktop, ask me to run MATLAB code. I should be able to execute:
matlab
disp('Hello from MATLAB!')
Troubleshooting
Check logs:
bash
cat ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-matlab.log
cat ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp.log
Common issues:
- Missing --matlab-root argument → "no valid MATLAB environments found"
Connecting Claude App to MATLAB via MCP Server
Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
json
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
"/Users/YOURUSERNAME/Documents/MATLAB"
]
},
"matlab": {
"command": "/Users/YOURUSERNAME/Downloads/matlab-mcp-core-server",
"args": [
"--matlab-root", "/Applications/MATLAB_R2025a.app"
]
}
}
}
Then fully quit Claude Desktop (Cmd+Q) and reopen.
Comet browser can figure out and operate a user interface on the web including MATLAB Online. The screen shot shows MATLAB online to the left of the Comet AI. You see a test Live Script with sliders thjat Comet created in a folder (that it created). Comet is summarizing suggested improvements it requested of MATLAB Online's Copilot. Comet can plow into the arcane NASA astrophysical database interface SIMBAD, figure out how to grab information about, say, a star orbiting the black hole in the center of our galaxy and structure that information into a MATLAB data structure in a MATLAB script and run the script in MATLAB Online and display the results in the structure - it succeeded on the first try. It can do a Google Scholar citation tree search and park the results in MATLAB (success first try) or presumably in say MS Word in Office online. Presumably it can switch to a JuypterHub tab to then run a notebook or what you will. It can make mistakes, explore and discover GUI options, and recover e.g. use undo paste in MATLAB, operate in the command window, get help via the GUI if needed. Not at light speed but this seems enabling. Just released, Claude Chrome Extension Beta has similar capabilities.
Inspired in part by Christmas Trees, I'm curious about people's experience using AI to generate Matlab code.
1. Do you use AI to generate production code or just for experimentation/fun code?
2. Do you use the AI for a complete solution? Or is it more that the AI gets you most of the way there and you have to apply the finishing touches manually?
3. What level of quality would you consider the generated code? Does it follow "standard" Matlab coding practices? Is it well commented? Factored into modular functions? Argument checking? Memory efficient? Fast execution? Etc.?
4. Does the AI ever come up with a good or clever solution of which you wouldn't have thought or maybe of which you weren't even aware?
5. Is it easy/hard to express your requirements in a manner that the AI tool effectively translates into something useful?
6. Any other thoughts you'd care to share?
I thought it would be fun to vibe code Christmas trees.
Model: Claude Sonnet4.5
Prompt: Write a MATLAB script that draws a Christmas tree. There should be decorations and presents too.
Result:
christmasTree()
function christmasTree()
% Christmas Tree with Decorations and Presents
% Creates a festive scene with a decorated tree and gift boxes
figure('Color', 'w', 'Position', [100, 100, 800, 900]);
hold on;
axis equal;
axis off;
xlim([-3, 3]);
ylim([0, 10]);
% Draw the tree (three layered triangular sections)
drawTreeSection(0, 2, 2.5, 2.5, [0.1, 0.5, 0.1]);
drawTreeSection(0, 3.5, 2, 2, [0.15, 0.55, 0.15]);
drawTreeSection(0, 4.8, 1.5, 1.8, [0.2, 0.6, 0.2]);
% Tree trunk
rectangle('Position', [-0.3, 0, 0.6, 2], 'FaceColor', [0.4, 0.2, 0.1], ...
'EdgeColor', 'none');
% Add decorations
addOrnaments();
addTinsel();
% Star on top
drawStar(0, 7.2, 0.4, [1, 0.84, 0]);
% Add presents under the tree
drawPresent(-1.8, 0, 0.6, 0.5, [0.8, 0.1, 0.1], [1, 0.84, 0]);
drawPresent(-0.8, 0, 0.5, 0.6, [0.1, 0.3, 0.8], [0.9, 0.9, 0.9]);
drawPresent(1.2, 0, 0.7, 0.4, [0.7, 0.5, 0.9], [0.2, 0.8, 0.2]);
drawPresent(0.2, 0, 0.4, 0.5, [1, 0.7, 0.1], [0.8, 0.1, 0.1]);
% Add some snow on the ground
scatter(randn(1, 100)*2.5, rand(1, 100)*0.3, 20, 'w', 'filled', ...
'MarkerEdgeColor', [0.8, 0.8, 0.8]);
title('Merry Christmas!', 'FontSize', 24, 'Color', [0.8, 0.1, 0.1], ...
'FontWeight', 'bold');
hold off;
end
function drawTreeSection(x, y, width, height, color)
% Draw a triangular section of the tree
xPoints = [x - width, x + width, x];
yPoints = [y, y, y + height];
fill(xPoints, yPoints, color, 'EdgeColor', [0.05, 0.3, 0.05], ...
'LineWidth', 1.5);
end
function addOrnaments()
% Add colorful baubles to the tree
ornamentColors = [
1, 0, 0; % Red
0, 0, 1; % Blue
1, 0.84, 0; % Gold
0.9, 0.1, 0.5;% Pink
0.5, 0, 0.5 % Purple
];
% Ornament positions (x, y coordinates)
positions = [
-1.5, 2.5; 1.5, 2.5; 0, 3.2;
-1.2, 3.8; 1.2, 3.8; -0.6, 4.2; 0.6, 4.2;
-0.8, 5.2; 0.8, 5.2; 0, 5.8; -0.4, 6.3; 0.4, 6.3
];
for i = 1:size(positions, 1)
colorIdx = mod(i-1, size(ornamentColors, 1)) + 1;
x = positions(i, 1);
y = positions(i, 2);
% Draw bauble
theta = linspace(0, 2*pi, 50);
radius = 0.15;
xCirc = x + radius * cos(theta);
yCirc = y + radius * sin(theta);
fill(xCirc, yCirc, ornamentColors(colorIdx, :), ...
'EdgeColor', ornamentColors(colorIdx, :)*0.7, 'LineWidth', 1.5);
% Add highlight for shine
highlightX = x - radius*0.4 + radius*0.3*cos(theta(1:15));
highlightY = y + radius*0.4 + radius*0.3*sin(theta(1:15));
fill(highlightX, highlightY, [1, 1, 1], 'EdgeColor', 'none', ...
'FaceAlpha', 0.6);
end
end
function addTinsel()
% Add sparkly tinsel effect
tinselX = [-1.8, -1.2, -0.5, 0.2, 0.9, 1.6];
tinselY = [2.8, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5];
for i = 1:length(tinselX)
plot(tinselX(i) + randn(1, 5)*0.1, tinselY(i) + rand(1, 5)*0.2, ...
'*', 'Color', [1, 0.84, 0], 'MarkerSize', 8, 'LineWidth', 1.5);
end
end
function drawStar(x, y, size, color)
% Draw a 5-pointed star on top of the tree
angles = linspace(0, 2*pi, 11);
radii = repmat([size, size*0.4], 1, 5);
radii = [radii, radii(1)];
xStar = x + radii .* cos(angles - pi/2);
yStar = y + radii .* sin(angles - pi/2);
fill(xStar, yStar, color, 'EdgeColor', [0.8, 0.6, 0], 'LineWidth', 2);
% Add sparkle
plot(x, y, '*', 'Color', [1, 1, 1], 'MarkerSize', 15, 'LineWidth', 2);
end
function drawPresent(x, y, width, height, boxColor, ribbonColor)
% Draw a gift box with ribbon and bow
% Box
rectangle('Position', [x, y, width, height], 'FaceColor', boxColor, ...
'EdgeColor', boxColor*0.7, 'LineWidth', 2);
% Vertical ribbon
ribbonWidth = width * 0.15;
rectangle('Position', [x + width/2 - ribbonWidth/2, y, ribbonWidth, height], ...
'FaceColor', ribbonColor, 'EdgeColor', 'none');
% Horizontal ribbon
ribbonHeight = height * 0.15;
rectangle('Position', [x, y + height/2 - ribbonHeight/2, width, ribbonHeight], ...
'FaceColor', ribbonColor, 'EdgeColor', 'none');
% Bow on top
bowX = x + width/2;
bowY = y + height;
bowSize = width * 0.2;
% Left loop
theta = linspace(0, pi, 30);
fill(bowX - bowSize*0.3 + bowSize*0.5*cos(theta), ...
bowY + bowSize*0.5*sin(theta), ribbonColor, 'EdgeColor', 'none');
% Right loop
fill(bowX + bowSize*0.3 + bowSize*0.5*cos(theta), ...
bowY + bowSize*0.5*sin(theta), ribbonColor, 'EdgeColor', 'none');
% Center knot
theta = linspace(0, 2*pi, 30);
fill(bowX + bowSize*0.25*cos(theta), bowY + bowSize*0.25*sin(theta), ...
ribbonColor*0.8, 'EdgeColor', 'none');
end
I like this quote, what do you think?
"If the part of programming you enjoy most is the physical act of writing code, then agents will feel beside the point. You’re already where you want to be, even just with some Copilot or Cursor-style intelligent code auto completion, which makes you faster while still leaving you fully in the driver’s seat about the code that gets written.
But if the part you care about is the decision-making around the code, agents feel like they clear space. They take care of the mechanical expression and leave you with judgment, tradeoffs, and intent. Because truly, for someone at my experience level, that is my core value offering anyway. When I spend time actually typing code these days with my own fingers, it feels like a waste of my time."
— Obie Fernandez, What happens when the coding becomes the least interesting part of the work
Missed a session or want to revisit your favorites? Now’s your chance!
Explore 42 sessions packed with insights, including:
✅4 inspiring keynotes
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Each session comes with video recordings and downloadable slides, so you can learn at your own pace.
The Cody Contest 2025 has officially wrapped up! Over the past 4 weeks, more than 700 players submitted over 20,000 solutions. In addition, participants shared 20+ high-quality Tips & Tricksarticles—resources that will benefit Cody users for years to come.
Now it’s time to announce the winners.
🎉 Week 4 winners:
Weekly Prizes for Contest Problem Group Finishers:
@JKMSMKJ, @Yu Zhang, @Oliver Jaros, @Pauli Huusari, @Karl, @Marcos Silveira, @goc3, @Ildeberto de los Santos Ruiz, @Norberto, @Eric
Weekly Prizes for Contest Problem Group Solvers:
Weekly Prizes for Tips & Tricks Articles:
This week’s prize goes to @WANG Zi-Xiang. See the comments from our judge and problem group author @Matt Tearle:
‘We had a lot of great tips for solving Cody problems in general and the contest problems specifically. But we all know there are those among us who, having solved the problem, still want to tinker and make their code better. There are different definitions of "better", but code size remains the base metric in Cody. Enter Wang Zi-Xiang who compiled a list of many tips for reducing Cody size. This post also generated some great discussion (even prompting our insane autocrat, Lord Ned himself, to chime in). I particularly like the way that, while reducing Cody size often requires some arcane tricks that would normally be considered bad coding practice, the intellectual activity of trying to "game the system" makes you consider different programming approaches, and sometimes leads you to learn corners of MATLAB that you didn't know.’
🏆 Grand Prizes for the Main Round
Team Relentless Coders:
2nd Place: @Roberto
Team Creative Coders:
Team Cool Coders
Congratulations to all! Securing a top position on the leaderboard requires not only advanced MATLAB skills but also determination and consistency throughout the four-week contest. You will receive Amazon gift cards.
🥇 Winning Team
The competition was incredibly tight—we even had to use the tie-breaker rule.
Both Team Cool Coders and Team Relentless Coders achieved 16 contest group finishers. However, the last finisher on Cool Coders completed the problem group at 1:02 PM on Dec 7, while the last finisher on Relentless Coders finished at 9:47 PM the same day.
Such a close finish! Congratulations to Team Cool Coders, who have earned the Winning Team Finishers badge.
🎬 Bonus Round
Invitations have been sent to the 6 players who qualified for the Bonus Round. Stay tuned for updates—including the Big Watch Party afterward!
Congratulations again to all winners! We’ll be reaching out after the contest ends. It has been an exciting, rewarding, and knowledge-packed journey.
See you next year!
I can't believe someone put time into this ;-)
Hi everyone
I've been using ThingSpeak for several years now without an issue until last Thursday.
I have four ThingSpeak channels which are used by three Arduino devices (in two locations/on two distinct networks) all running the same code.
All three devices stopped being able to write data to my ThingSpeak channels around 17:00 CET on 4 Dec and are still unable to.
Nothing changed on this side, let alone something that would explain the problem.
I would note that data can still be written to all the channels via a browser so there is no fundamental problem with the channels (such as being full).
Since the above date and time, any HTTP/1.1 'update' (write) requests via the REST API (using both simple one-write GET requests or bulk JSON POST requests) are timing out after 5 seconds and no data is being written. The 5 second timeout is my Arduino code's default, but even increasing it to 30 seconds makes no difference. Before all this, responses from ThingSpeak were sub-second.
I have recompiled the Arduino code using the latest libraries and that didn't help.
I have tested the same code again another random api (api.ipify.org) and that works just fine.
Curl works just fine too, also usng HTTP/1.1
So the issue appears to be something particular to the combination of my Arduino code *and* the ThingSpeak environment, where something changed on the ThingSpeak end at the above date and time.
If anyone in the community has any suggestions as to what might be going on, I would greatly appreciate the help.
Peter
In a recent blog post, @Guy Rouleau writes about the new Simulink Copilot Beta. Sign ups are on the Copilot Beta page below. Let him know what you think.
Guy's Blog Post - https://blogs.mathworks.com/simulink/2025/12/01/a-copilot-for-simulink/
Simulink Copilot Beta - https://www.mathworks.com/products/simulink-copilot.html
I believe that it is very useful and important to know when we have new comments of our own problems. Although I had chosen to receive notifications about my own problems, I only receive them when I am mentioned by @.
Is it possible to add a 'New comment' alert in front of each problem on the 'My Problems' page?
Over the past three weeks, players have been having great fun solving problems, sharing knowledge, and connecting with each other. Did you know over 15,000 solutions have already been submitted?
This is the final week to solve Cody problems and climb the leaderboard in the main round. Remember: solving just one problem in the contest problem group gives you a chance to win MathWorks T-shirts or socks.
🎉 Week 3 Winners:
Weekly Prizes for Contest Problem Group Finishers:
@Umar, @David Hill, @Takumi, @Nicolas, @WANG Zi-Xiang, @Rajvir Singh Gangar, @Roberto, @Boldizsar, @Abi, @Antonio
Weekly Prizes for Contest Problem Group Solvers:
Weekly Prizes for Tips & Tricks Articles:
This week’s prize goes to @Cephas. See the comments from our judge and problem group author @Matt Tearle:
'Some folks have posted deep dives into how to tackle specific problems in the contest set. But others have shared multiple smaller, generally useful tips. This week, I want to congratulate the cumulative contribution of Cool Coder Cephas, who has shared several of my favorite MATLAB techniques, including logical indexing, preallocation, modular arithmetic, and more. Cephas has also given some tips applying these MATLAB techniques to specific contest problems, such as using a convenient MATLAB function to vectorize the Leaderboard problem. Tip for Problem 61059 – Leaderboard for the Nedball World Cup:'
Congratulations to all Week 3 winners! Let’s carry this momentum into the final week!
The formula comes from @yuruyurau. (https://x.com/yuruyurau)
digital life 1
figure('Position',[300,50,900,900], 'Color','k');
axes(gcf, 'NextPlot','add', 'Position',[0,0,1,1], 'Color','k');
axis([0, 400, 0, 400])
SHdl = scatter([], [], 2, 'filled','o','w', 'MarkerEdgeColor','none', 'MarkerFaceAlpha',.4);
t = 0;
i = 0:2e4;
x = mod(i, 100);
y = floor(i./100);
k = x./4 - 12.5;
e = y./9 + 5;
o = vecnorm([k; e])./9;
while true
t = t + pi/90;
q = x + 99 + tan(1./k) + o.*k.*(cos(e.*9)./4 + cos(y./2)).*sin(o.*4 - t);
c = o.*e./30 - t./8;
SHdl.XData = (q.*0.7.*sin(c)) + 9.*cos(y./19 + t) + 200;
SHdl.YData = 200 + (q./2.*cos(c));
drawnow
end
digital life 2
figure('Position',[300,50,900,900], 'Color','k');
axes(gcf, 'NextPlot','add', 'Position',[0,0,1,1], 'Color','k');
axis([0, 400, 0, 400])
SHdl = scatter([], [], 2, 'filled','o','w', 'MarkerEdgeColor','none', 'MarkerFaceAlpha',.4);
t = 0;
i = 0:1e4;
x = i;
y = i./235;
e = y./8 - 13;
while true
t = t + pi/240;
k = (4 + sin(y.*2 - t).*3).*cos(x./29);
d = vecnorm([k; e]);
q = 3.*sin(k.*2) + 0.3./k + sin(y./25).*k.*(9 + 4.*sin(e.*9 - d.*3 + t.*2));
SHdl.XData = q + 30.*cos(d - t) + 200;
SHdl.YData = 620 - q.*sin(d - t) - d.*39;
drawnow
end
digital life 3
figure('Position',[300,50,900,900], 'Color','k');
axes(gcf, 'NextPlot','add', 'Position',[0,0,1,1], 'Color','k');
axis([0, 400, 0, 400])
SHdl = scatter([], [], 1, 'filled','o','w', 'MarkerEdgeColor','none', 'MarkerFaceAlpha',.4);
t = 0;
i = 0:1e4;
x = mod(i, 200);
y = i./43;
k = 5.*cos(x./14).*cos(y./30);
e = y./8 - 13;
d = (k.^2 + e.^2)./59 + 4;
a = atan2(k, e);
while true
t = t + pi/20;
q = 60 - 3.*sin(a.*e) + k.*(3 + 4./d.*sin(d.^2 - t.*2));
c = d./2 + e./99 - t./18;
SHdl.XData = q.*sin(c) + 200;
SHdl.YData = (q + d.*9).*cos(c) + 200;
drawnow; pause(1e-2)
end
digital life 4
figure('Position',[300,50,900,900], 'Color','k');
axes(gcf, 'NextPlot','add', 'Position',[0,0,1,1], 'Color','k');
axis([0, 400, 0, 400])
SHdl = scatter([], [], 1, 'filled','o','w', 'MarkerEdgeColor','none', 'MarkerFaceAlpha',.4);
t = 0;
i = 0:4e4;
x = mod(i, 200);
y = i./200;
k = x./8 - 12.5;
e = y./8 - 12.5;
o = (k.^2 + e.^2)./169;
d = .5 + 5.*cos(o);
while true
t = t + pi/120;
SHdl.XData = x + d.*k.*sin(d.*2 + o + t) + e.*cos(e + t) + 100;
SHdl.YData = y./4 - o.*135 + d.*6.*cos(d.*3 + o.*9 + t) + 275;
SHdl.CData = ((d.*sin(k).*sin(t.*4 + e)).^2).'.*[1,1,1];
drawnow;
end
digital life 5
figure('Position',[300,50,900,900], 'Color','k');
axes(gcf, 'NextPlot','add', 'Position',[0,0,1,1], 'Color','k');
axis([0, 400, 0, 400])
SHdl = scatter([], [], 1, 'filled','o','w',...
'MarkerEdgeColor','none', 'MarkerFaceAlpha',.4);
t = 0;
i = 0:1e4;
x = mod(i, 200);
y = i./55;
k = 9.*cos(x./8);
e = y./8 - 12.5;
while true
t = t + pi/120;
d = (k.^2 + e.^2)./99 + sin(t)./6 + .5;
q = 99 - e.*sin(atan2(k, e).*7)./d + k.*(3 + cos(d.^2 - t).*2);
c = d./2 + e./69 - t./16;
SHdl.XData = q.*sin(c) + 200;
SHdl.YData = (q + 19.*d).*cos(c) + 200;
drawnow;
end
digital life 6
clc; clear
figure('Position',[300,50,900,900], 'Color','k');
axes(gcf, 'NextPlot','add', 'Position',[0,0,1,1], 'Color','k');
axis([0, 400, 0, 400])
SHdl = scatter([], [], 2, 'filled','o','w', 'MarkerEdgeColor','none', 'MarkerFaceAlpha',.4);
t = 0;
i = 1:1e4;
y = i./790;
k = y; idx = y < 5;
k(idx) = 6 + sin(bitxor(floor(y(idx)), 1)).*6;
k(~idx) = 4 + cos(y(~idx));
while true
t = t + pi/90;
d = sqrt((k.*cos(i + t./4)).^2 + (y/3-13).^2);
q = y.*k.*cos(i + t./4)./5.*(2 + sin(d.*2 + y - t.*4));
c = d./3 - t./2 + mod(i, 2);
SHdl.XData = q + 90.*cos(c) + 200;
SHdl.YData = 400 - (q.*sin(c) + d.*29 - 170);
drawnow; pause(1e-2)
end
digital life 7
clc; clear
figure('Position',[300,50,900,900], 'Color','k');
axes(gcf, 'NextPlot','add', 'Position',[0,0,1,1], 'Color','k');
axis([0, 400, 0, 400])
SHdl = scatter([], [], 2, 'filled','o','w', 'MarkerEdgeColor','none', 'MarkerFaceAlpha',.4);
t = 0;
i = 1:1e4;
y = i./345;
x = y; idx = y < 11;
x(idx) = 6 + sin(bitxor(floor(x(idx)), 8))*6;
x(~idx) = x(~idx)./5 + cos(x(~idx)./2);
e = y./7 - 13;
while true
t = t + pi/120;
k = x.*cos(i - t./4);
d = sqrt(k.^2 + e.^2) + sin(e./4 + t)./2;
q = y.*k./d.*(3 + sin(d.*2 + y./2 - t.*4));
c = d./2 + 1 - t./2;
SHdl.XData = q + 60.*cos(c) + 200;
SHdl.YData = 400 - (q.*sin(c) + d.*29 - 170);
drawnow; pause(5e-3)
end
digital life 8
clc; clear
figure('Position',[300,50,900,900], 'Color','k');
axes(gcf, 'NextPlot','add', 'Position',[0,0,1,1], 'Color','k');
axis([0, 400, 0, 400])
SHdl{6} = [];
for j = 1:6
SHdl{j} = scatter([], [], 2, 'filled','o','w', 'MarkerEdgeColor','none', 'MarkerFaceAlpha',.3);
end
t = 0;
i = 1:2e4;
k = mod(i, 25) - 12;
e = i./800; m = 200;
theta = pi/3;
R = [cos(theta) -sin(theta); sin(theta) cos(theta)];
while true
t = t + pi/240;
d = 7.*cos(sqrt(k.^2 + e.^2)./3 + t./2);
XY = [k.*4 + d.*k.*sin(d + e./9 + t);
e.*2 - d.*9 - d.*9.*cos(d + t)];
for j = 1:6
XY = R*XY;
SHdl{j}.XData = XY(1,:) + m;
SHdl{j}.YData = XY(2,:) + m;
end
drawnow;
end
digital life 9
clc; clear
figure('Position',[300,50,900,900], 'Color','k');
axes(gcf, 'NextPlot','add', 'Position',[0,0,1,1], 'Color','k');
axis([0, 400, 0, 400])
SHdl{14} = [];
for j = 1:14
SHdl{j} = scatter([], [], 2, 'filled','o','w', 'MarkerEdgeColor','none', 'MarkerFaceAlpha',.1);
end
t = 0;
i = 1:2e4;
k = mod(i, 50) - 25;
e = i./1100; m = 200;
theta = pi/7;
R = [cos(theta) -sin(theta); sin(theta) cos(theta)];
while true
t = t + pi/240;
d = 5.*cos(sqrt(k.^2 + e.^2) - t + mod(i, 2));
XY = [k + k.*d./6.*sin(d + e./3 + t);
90 + e.*d - e./d.*2.*cos(d + t)];
for j = 1:14
XY = R*XY;
SHdl{j}.XData = XY(1,:) + m;
SHdl{j}.YData = XY(2,:) + m;
end
drawnow;
end
In just two weeks, the competition has become both intense and friendly as participants race to climb the team leaderboard, especially in Team Creative, where @Mehdi Dehghan currently leads with 1400+ points, followed by @Vasilis Bellos with 900+ points.
There’s still plenty of time to participate before the contest's main round ends on December 7. Solving just one problem in the contest problem group gives you a chance to win MathWorks T-shirts or socks. Completing the entire problem group not only boosts your odds but also helps your team win.
🎉 Week 2 Winners:
Weekly Prizes for Contest Problem Group Finishers:
@Cephas, @Athi, @Bin Jiang, @Armando Longobardi, @Simone, @Maxi, @Pietro, @Hong Son, @Salvatore, @KARUPPASAMYPANDIYAN M
Weekly Prizes for Contest Problem Group Solvers:
Weekly Prizes for Tips & Tricks Articles:
This week’s prize goes to @Athi for the highly detailed post Solving Systematically The Clueless - Lord Ned in the Game Room.
Comment from the judge:
Shortly after the problem set dropped, several folks recognized that the final problem, "Clueless", was a step above the rest in difficulty. So, not surprisingly, there were a few posts in the discussion boards related to how to tackle this problem. Athi, of the Cool Coders, really dug deep into how the rules and strategies could be turned into an algorithm. There's always more than one way to tackle any difficult programming problem, so it was nice to see some discussion in the comments on different ways you can structure the array that represents your knowledge of who has which cards.
Congratulations to all Week 2 winners! Let’s keep the momentum going!
% Recreation of Saturn photo
figure('Color', 'k', 'Position', [100, 100, 800, 800]);
ax = axes('Color', 'k', 'XColor', 'none', 'YColor', 'none', 'ZColor', 'none');
hold on;
% Create the planet sphere
[x, y, z] = sphere(150);
% Saturn colors - pale yellow/cream gradient
saturn_radius = 1;
% Create color data based on latitude for gradient effect
lat = asin(z);
color_data = rescale(lat, 0.3, 0.9);
% Plot Saturn with smooth shading
planet = surf(x*saturn_radius, y*saturn_radius, z*saturn_radius, ...
color_data, ...
'EdgeColor', 'none', ...
'FaceColor', 'interp', ...
'FaceLighting', 'gouraud', ...
'AmbientStrength', 0.3, ...
'DiffuseStrength', 0.6, ...
'SpecularStrength', 0.1);
% Use a cream/pale yellow colormap for Saturn
cream_map = [linspace(0.4, 0.95, 256)', ...
linspace(0.35, 0.9, 256)', ...
linspace(0.2, 0.7, 256)'];
colormap(cream_map);
% Create the ring system
n_points = 300;
theta = linspace(0, 2*pi, n_points);
% Define ring structure (inner radius, outer radius, brightness)
rings = [
1.2, 1.4, 0.7; % Inner ring
1.45, 1.65, 0.8; % A ring
1.7, 1.85, 0.5; % Cassini division (darker)
1.9, 2.3, 0.9; % B ring (brightest)
2.35, 2.5, 0.6; % C ring
2.55, 2.8, 0.4; % Outer rings (fainter)
];
% Create rings as patches
for i = 1:size(rings, 1)
r_inner = rings(i, 1);
r_outer = rings(i, 2);
brightness = rings(i, 3);
% Create ring coordinates
x_inner = r_inner * cos(theta);
y_inner = r_inner * sin(theta);
x_outer = r_outer * cos(theta);
y_outer = r_outer * sin(theta);
% Front side of rings
ring_x = [x_inner, fliplr(x_outer)];
ring_y = [y_inner, fliplr(y_outer)];
ring_z = zeros(size(ring_x));
% Color based on brightness
ring_color = brightness * [0.9, 0.85, 0.7];
fill3(ring_x, ring_y, ring_z, ring_color, ...
'EdgeColor', 'none', ...
'FaceAlpha', 0.7, ...
'FaceLighting', 'gouraud', ...
'AmbientStrength', 0.5);
end
% Add some texture/gaps in the rings using scatter
n_particles = 3000;
r_particles = 1.2 + rand(1, n_particles) * 1.6;
theta_particles = rand(1, n_particles) * 2 * pi;
x_particles = r_particles .* cos(theta_particles);
y_particles = r_particles .* sin(theta_particles);
z_particles = (rand(1, n_particles) - 0.5) * 0.02;
% Vary particle brightness
particle_colors = repmat([0.8, 0.75, 0.6], n_particles, 1) .* ...
(0.5 + 0.5*rand(n_particles, 1));
scatter3(x_particles, y_particles, z_particles, 1, particle_colors, ...
'filled', 'MarkerFaceAlpha', 0.3);
% Add dramatic outer halo effect - multiple layers extending far out
n_glow = 20;
for i = 1:n_glow
glow_radius = 1 + i*0.35; % Extend much farther
alpha_val = 0.08 / sqrt(i); % More visible, slower falloff
% Color gradient from cream to blue/purple at outer edges
if i <= 8
glow_color = [0.9, 0.85, 0.7]; % Warm cream/yellow
else
% Gradually shift to cooler colors
mix = (i - 8) / (n_glow - 8);
glow_color = (1-mix)*[0.9, 0.85, 0.7] + mix*[0.6, 0.65, 0.85];
end
surf(x*glow_radius, y*glow_radius, z*glow_radius, ...
ones(size(x)), ...
'EdgeColor', 'none', ...
'FaceColor', glow_color, ...
'FaceAlpha', alpha_val, ...
'FaceLighting', 'none');
end
% Add extensive glow to rings - make it much more dramatic
n_ring_glow = 12;
for i = 1:n_ring_glow
glow_scale = 1 + i*0.15; % Extend farther
alpha_ring = 0.12 / sqrt(i); % More visible
for j = 1:size(rings, 1)
r_inner = rings(j, 1) * glow_scale;
r_outer = rings(j, 2) * glow_scale;
brightness = rings(j, 3) * 0.5 / sqrt(i);
x_inner = r_inner * cos(theta);
y_inner = r_inner * sin(theta);
x_outer = r_outer * cos(theta);
y_outer = r_outer * sin(theta);
ring_x = [x_inner, fliplr(x_outer)];
ring_y = [y_inner, fliplr(y_outer)];
ring_z = zeros(size(ring_x));
% Color gradient for ring glow
if i <= 6
ring_color = brightness * [0.9, 0.85, 0.7];
else
mix = (i - 6) / (n_ring_glow - 6);
ring_color = brightness * ((1-mix)*[0.9, 0.85, 0.7] + mix*[0.65, 0.7, 0.9]);
end
fill3(ring_x, ring_y, ring_z, ring_color, ...
'EdgeColor', 'none', ...
'FaceAlpha', alpha_ring, ...
'FaceLighting', 'none');
end
end
% Add diffuse glow particles for atmospheric effect
n_glow_particles = 8000;
glow_radius_particles = 1.5 + rand(1, n_glow_particles) * 5;
theta_glow = rand(1, n_glow_particles) * 2 * pi;
phi_glow = acos(2*rand(1, n_glow_particles) - 1);
x_glow = glow_radius_particles .* sin(phi_glow) .* cos(theta_glow);
y_glow = glow_radius_particles .* sin(phi_glow) .* sin(theta_glow);
z_glow = glow_radius_particles .* cos(phi_glow);
% Color particles based on distance - cooler colors farther out
particle_glow_colors = zeros(n_glow_particles, 3);
for i = 1:n_glow_particles
dist = glow_radius_particles(i);
if dist < 3
particle_glow_colors(i,:) = [0.9, 0.85, 0.7];
else
mix = (dist - 3) / 4;
particle_glow_colors(i,:) = (1-mix)*[0.9, 0.85, 0.7] + mix*[0.5, 0.6, 0.9];
end
end
scatter3(x_glow, y_glow, z_glow, rand(1, n_glow_particles)*2+0.5, ...
particle_glow_colors, 'filled', 'MarkerFaceAlpha', 0.05);
% Lighting setup
light('Position', [-3, -2, 4], 'Style', 'infinite', ...
'Color', [1, 1, 0.95]);
light('Position', [2, 3, 2], 'Style', 'infinite', ...
'Color', [0.3, 0.3, 0.4]);
% Camera and view settings
axis equal off;
view([-35, 25]); % Angle to match saturn_photo.jpg - more dramatic tilt
camva(10); % Field of view - slightly wider to show full halo
xlim([-8, 8]); % Expanded to show outer halo
ylim([-8, 8]);
zlim([-8, 8]);
% Material properties
material dull;
title('Saturn - Left click: Rotate | Right click: Pan | Scroll: Zoom', 'Color', 'w', 'FontSize', 12);
% Enable interactive camera controls
cameratoolbar('Show');
cameratoolbar('SetMode', 'orbit'); % Start in rotation mode
% Custom mouse controls
set(gcf, 'WindowButtonDownFcn', @mouseDown);
function mouseDown(src, ~)
selType = get(src, 'SelectionType');
switch selType
case 'normal' % Left click - rotate
cameratoolbar('SetMode', 'orbit');
rotate3d on;
case 'alt' % Right click - pan
cameratoolbar('SetMode', 'pan');
pan on;
end
end
Hello,
I have Arduino DIY Geiger Counter, that uploads data to my channel here in ThingSpeak (3171809), using ESP8266 WiFi board. It sends CPM values (counts per minute), Dose, VCC and Max CPM for 24h. They are assignet to Field from 1 to 4 respectively. How can I duplicate Field 1, so I could create different time chart for the same measured unit? Or should I duplicate Field 1 chart, and how? I tried to find the answer here in the blog, but I couldn't.
I have to say that I'm not an engineer or coder, just can simply load some Arduino sketches and few more things, so I'll be very thankfull if someone could explain like for non-IT users.
Regards,
Emo
Thank you to everyone who attended the workshop A Hands-On Introduction to Reinforcement Learning! Now that you all have had some time to digest the content, I wanted to create a thread where you could ask any further questions, share insights, or discuss how you're applying the concepts to your work. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the thread below! And for your reference, I have attached a PDF version of the workshop presentation slides to this post.
If you were interested in joining the RL workshop but weren't able to attend live (maybe because you were in one of our other fantastic workshops instead!), you can find the workshop hands-on material in this shared MATLAB Drive folder. To access the exercises, simply download the MATLAB Project Archive (.mlproj) file or copy it to your MATLAB Drive, extract the files, and open the project (.prj). Each exercise has its own live script (.mlx file) which contains all the instructions and individual steps for each exercise. Happy (reinforcement) learning!
Is it possible to get the slides from the Hands-On-Workshops?
I can't find them in the proceedings. I'm particularly interested in the Reinforcement Learning workshop, but unfortunately I couldn't participate.
Thanks in advance!
In https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/38165-how-to-remove-decimal#comment_3345149 @Luisa asks,
@Cody Team, how can I vote or give a like in great comments?
It seems that there are not such options.
In just one week, we have hit an amazing milestone: 500+ players registered and 5000+ solutions submitted! We’ve also seen fantastic Tips & Tricks articles rolling in, making this contest a true community learning experience.
And here’s the best part: you don’t need to be a top-ranked player to win. To encourage more casual and first-time players to jump in, we’re introducing new weekly prizes starting Week 2!
New Casual Player Prizes:
- 5 extra MathWorks T-shirts or socks will be awarded every week.
- All you need to qualify is to register and solve one problem in the Contest Problem Group.
Jump in, try a few problems, and don’t be shy to ask questions in your team’s channel. You might walk away with a prize!
Week 1 Winners:
Weekly Prizes for Contest Problem Group Finishers:
@Mazhar, @Julien, @Mohammad Aryayi, @Pawel, @Mehdi Dehghan, @Christian Schröder, @Yolanda, @Dev Gupta, @Tomoaki Takagi, @Stefan Abendroth
Weekly Prizes for Tips & Tricks Articles:
We had a lot of people share useful tips (including some personal favorite MATLAB tricks). But Vasilis Bellos went *deep* into the Bridges of Nedsburg problem. Fittingly for a Creative Coder, his post was innovative and entertaining, while also cleverly sneaking in some hints on a neat solution method that wasn't advertised in the problem description.
Congratulations to all Week 1 winners! Prizes will be awarded after the contest ends. Let’s keep the momentum going!
