The Spritzer
Sony showcased a brand new development board called the Spritzer at Maker Faire Tokyo last weekend. Designed for IoT applications, the Spritzer comprises a range of smart functionality (such as integrated GPS and an advanced digital audio codec and amplifier). The Spritzer looks to be versatile, featuring a processing chip with a unique combination of low power consumption and a rapid clock speed of 156MHz. It will be available for purchase in early 2018.
American Artisans
Handcrafted America, a TV show where host Jill Wagner meets craftspeople from across the United States, started it’s third season on Friday. The show provides its viewers with the history and information of the artisans that Wagner runs into or finds, while offering some adventure and moments of humor. You should check it out!
Medical Hack Saves Lives
Last week, midwife Anne Mulinge, from Nairobi, Kenya, created a simple, cheap way of saving the lives of new mothers by creating uterine balloon tamponade (UBT) kits out of an urinary catheter, condom, and twine. UBT kits are used to treat postpartum hemorrhaging. However, each kit goes for about $400, making them a luxury most African hospitals can’t afford. 30% of maternal deaths worldwide are attributable to postpartum hemorrhaging, and a vast majority of those deaths come from developing countries.
Mulinge’s makeshift kit is much cheaper (very rarely superseding $10), and still gets the job done. Mulinge reports her kit has already saved three mothers, and she’s hoping her simple hack can be improved upon even more and spread to the those who need it.
DIY Laser Cut Double Knuckle Ring
Check out this laser cut double knuckle ring project that Alex Glow posted last Tuesday. Alex thought of the project while digging through some leftover scrap at the Noisebridge hakerspace, and wondering what, if anything, could be made from the leftover 3mm translucent acrylic someone had left behind.
The double knuckle rings are easy to make, but Alex warns that they easily break when pressed against something too hard (like when carrying heavy luggage).
20 Meter Mech Protects Tokyo
Anime fans were sad to see the full-scale 59-foot RX-78-2 Gundam statue, that has stood guard in Tokyo for many years, get taken down last March. However, this past week, images and videos have begun to leak of the new full-scale 64.6 foot RX-0 Unicorn Gundam. The statue is currently being built, but the builders are having trouble keeping the project under wraps as the thing is so big. This new one is supposed to be able to move too!
Continuous Belt Printers
These new continuous belt printers are pretty big news. Hironori Kondo took the time to break down the pros and cons in simple language. It turns out there’s more to it than simply having a bed that goes forever. – Caleb Kraft
Cardboard Firepower
Blackfish is a YouTube content creator that loves to make stuff. Their most popular videos are of their weapons that they make from cardboard. Blackfish makes them all fully functional, so they all reload and fire like their real counterparts. On Thursday, Blackfish released a video of their newest template: a mini sniper rifle.
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