Vol. 29: DIY Superhuman
We have the technology (to quote The Six Million Dollar Man), but commercial tools for exploring, assisting, and augmenting our bodies really can approach a price tag of $6 million. Medical and assistive tech manufacturers must pay not just for R&D, but for expensive clinical trials, regulatory compliance, and liability -- and doesn't help with low pricing that these devices are typically paid for through insurance, rather than purchased directly. But many gadgets that restore people's abilities or enable new "superpowers" are surprisingly easy to make, and for tiny fractions of the costs of off-the-shelf equivalents. MAKE 29, the "DIY Superhuman" issue, explains how. On newsstands now! » BUY OR SUBSCRIBE
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Table of Contents
Made on Earth
Dead Laptops
by Jon Kalish
Chicago-based artist Michael Dinges work is reminiscent of scrimshaw and trench art he decorates the plastic shells of discarded laptops. Page 18
Slap Shot to the Moon
by Rachel Hobson
Jeff Stone and his wife, Susan, made a telescope out of hockey sticks. Page 20
Pipe Dreams
by Sean Michael Ragan
Dasparkhotel is a pay-what-you-want travel lodge with five rooms, each built from a 20,000-pound section of 7-foot-diameter concrete drain pipe. Page 21
Solar Dune Buggy
by Laura Kiniry
Brothers Michael and Kenny Ham have a goal: to create cheap electric vehicles that get people interested in renewable energy. Page 22
Organ Donor
by Goli Mohammadi
Multitalented maker Matthew Borgatti built a MIDI-powered organ. Page 23
Gravity Harps for Bjork
by Andy Cavatorta
Andy Cavatorta collaborated with Bjork to design and build gravity harps. Page 24
DIY Segway
by Jerry James Stone
Mechanical engineering student Charles Guan built a homemade Segway, called the Segfault. Page 25
1+2+3
High-Pressure Foam Rocket
by Rick Schertle
Make a high-flying air rocket with some foam and a few household items. Page 123
Paper Clip Record Player
by Phil Bowie
Got a turntable that still turns? Got an old vinyl record? Make this pocket player in a few minutes for less than a penny. Page 155
Maker
Kyle Machulis: Hardware Hacker
by Gary Wolf
Reverse engineering guru works to unlock our personal data. Page 32
Good Vibrations: Groovy Mechanical Sound Players
by Bob Knetzger
A look back at the all-mechanical marvels that made fun sounds for over 100 years. Page 36
SPECIAL SECTION:
Meet Carol Reiley
by Todd Lappin
Surgical roboticist by day, health hardware hacker by night. Page 40
Air Guitar Hero
by Robert Armiger, Carol Reiley
Drop the controller and shred songs using the electrical signals from your arm muscles. Page 44
Pulse Sensor
by Yury Gitman, Joel Murphy
A wearable device to give your projects a live heartbeat. Page 52
Gateways to the Soul
by Luis Cruz, Zach Lieberman
Two systems, EyeWriter and Eyeboard, let people draw, write, and connect using only their eyes. Page 57
See Inside Your Own Eyes
by Michael Mauser
The Shadowscope, the Transilluminator, the Light Swirler, and the Brain Scanner give you a personal glimpse into your own eyes. Page 62
North Paw and Heart Spark
by Jon Kalish
Sensebridge makes devices that let people feel direction and see their heartbeat. Page 68
DIY Blood Pressure Monitor
by Garrick Orchard, Carol Reiley, Alex Russell
Make a blood pressure tester thats tough, smart, and mobile. Page 70
Tacit: A Haptic Wrist Rangefinder
by Steve Hoefer
This ultrasonic bat glove lets you feel things at a distance.
Page 78
We Have the Technology
A roundup of technologies that allow you to mod your bod.
Brain Rave
EEG Your Ride
Choscillator
Sleepers
Last Straw
Future Geniuses
Chem Lab on the Cheap
BioCurious?
DIY DNA
Smart Shoes
Highly Textured
Magnetic Touch
3D-Printable Trautman Hook
Lego My Hand
On Wings of DEMONS Page 82
Projects
Tiny Wanderer
by Doug Paradis
Starter robot autonomously navigates with a $2 microcontroller. Page 88
Geiger Counter
by John Iovine
This radiation detector clicks, flashes, logs radioactivity levels, and shares
its data with the world. Page 100
Better Nerf Gun
by Simon Jansen
Build a metal foam-dart gun that blows away store-bought plastic models. Page 112
Welcome
Experiment on Yourself
by Dale Dougherty
History is full of quirky tales of scientists who were first in line to try their own experiments. Page 11
Maker's Calendar
Maker's Calendar
by William Gurstelle
Our favorite events from around the world. Page 15
Making Trouble
MENTORing Kids Into Makers
by Saul Griffith
Makers, lets make education better, together. Page 16
Making Makers
Real Tools for Kids
by AnnMarie Thomas
Many students reach their first year of college without much experience with tools. Page 27
Country Scientist
Track the Leading Greenhouse Gas
by Forrest Mims III
For as little as $20, you can begin tracking the atmospheres most important greenhouse gas, water vapor. Page 28
Make Free
The Half-Life of Stuff
by Cory Doctorow
When code doesnt work, we erase it. When stuff doesnt work, most of it goes to landfill. Page 31
Skill Builder
Kinect Hacking
by Joshua Blake
Go from handwaving to coding with the Microsoft Kinect SDK. Page 124
DIY: Outdoors
$4 Hot Air Balloon
by Jesse Brumberger
Up, up, and away, with Scotch tape and a painters drop cloth. Page 134
DIY: Workshop
Hovercraft Shop Vac
by Bill Wells
Page 138
DIY: Home
iStand
by Larry Cotton
Build a sturdy, multi-position iPad stand for cheap. Page 140
Bent-Wire Crank Toy
by Lea E. Albaugh, Matt Mets
Learn these tricks and turn plain wire into a head-bobbing toy. Page 144
Making Bar Soap
by Alastair Bland
Wash your hands of the toxins found in commercial soaps. Page 147
DIY: Circuits
The Bobbinator
by Andrew Lewis
Make inexpensive linear actuators out of sewing machine bobbins. Page 150
DIY: Music
Easy Sunburst Guitar
by Steve Lodefink
Build a kit electric guitar and finish it like the pros. Page 152
Howtoons
The Pneumatic Kids
by Saul Griffith
Build your own air-powered muscles with everyday items. Page 156
Electronics: Fun and Fundamentals
Improbable Slots Carnival Game
by Charles Platt
Customize it and calculate your odds of winning the big teddy. Page 158
Toy Inventor's Notebook
Root Beer Pong Bot
by Bob Knetzger
Heres a noninvasive hack that takes advantage of ReCon 6.0 Programmable Rovers cool features while adding a fun new function to make a Root Beer Pong Bot. Page 161
Toolbox
Toolbox
Bend PVC like a champ, outsmart your cards, geek out on Lego, and fly a tiny chopper. Page 162
Eureka!
Danger!
Page 164
Heirloom Technology
Instant Cozy Kimono Robe
by Tim Anderson
Everyone loves this robe, and theres room in it for everyone! Page 170
Remaking History
The Tuning Fork
by William Gurstelle
Build the 18th-century tool that replaced faulty pitch pipes. Page 172
Homebrew
My Arduino-Equipped Still
by Jay Settle
Jay Settle combines a 1920s copper still with 21st Century Arduino technology. Page 176
Downloads & Extras
All the stuff you need to build the projects in MAKE, and exclusive online features direct from the staff of MAKE.
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