Year: 2010

Flat-pack bike & scooter

Flat-pack bike & scooter

While the functionality may be suspect, these flat-pack wheels have awesome maker flair. Designer Nicolas Belly of Bordeaux, France won 2nd place in the L’Argus Design Contest which had the theme of “Less is More: Traveling in the Era of Simplicity.” [via the Ponoko Blog] More: Wooden bike Wood Motorcycle Strange 4-legged Scooter Scooter hack […]

Perler bead QR codes

Perler bead QR codes

Looking for an easy way to generate QR codes capable of incorporating into an asphalt mosaic, John from mtoynbee.com found that Perler (aka melty) beads are the way to go. Not only can you position them in a grid, but they are also large enough to be picked up by a standard cameraphone.

Open MAKE at the Exploratorium, this Saturday

Open MAKE at the Exploratorium, this Saturday

Michelle Hlubinka, MAKE’s Education Director, sent us this announcement about the upcoming Open MAKE at the SF Exploratorium: As part of our ongoing quest to encourage more young people to exercise their innate curiosity and creativity by making things, this Saturday, January 30th, we’re kicking off a four-month collaboration with the Exploratorium’s Learning Studio, TechShop, […]

Hydrogel is mostly water, but strong as silicone rubber

Hydrogel is mostly water, but strong as silicone rubber

You’re looking at a piece of hydrogel. It is 98% water by weight. It’s moldable, transparent, environmentally friendly, easily synthesized and (get this) if it’s cut it will heal itself. Its creator, Takuzo Aida at the University of Tokyo, has compared it to silicone rubber in terms of strength. And to make it, all you have to do is stir three ingredients into a bunch of water at room temperature. These are sodium polyacrylate, clay, and a special dendritic macromolecule Aida and co-workers call “G3 binder.”