Last week or so we mentioned there was something happening over on WhiteBox Robotics and now they’ve announced their new Model 914 PC-BOT for pre-order. The PC-BOTs come in a couple flavors, and you’ll need to add your own PC, but they’ve taken care of the hard parts- locomotion, motors, power, sensors, etc… for $1,200 or so it’s not exactly cheap, but once you add up all the components and software it’s not bad (the under $2k home robot is finally here). Link.
Perhaps the whole spring and summer thing isn’t your thing- here’s how to make an Arctic sled. Materials cost around $10, weight is under 3lb, and it took 30 mins to build with a Swiss army knife. Not complicated at all, but could be very hand if you plan on going on that snowy expedition any time soon. Link.
...Davin Risk, master food sculptor and photographer from Toronto, Canada, is the winner of the Mike Industries “Make a Meatspace Shuffle” creativity competition. Davin’s first entry, made entirely of goat butter, arrived only hours after the contest began and set the pace for a field of over 40 excellent “interpretations of iPod Shuffle as food“. Link.
Health24.com has a friendly reminder that DIY projects can get you hurt if you’re not careful (Ladders always make me nervous too)…many people underestimate the dangers in doing their own home repairs. In the UK alone, 70 people die per year while fixing their homes. Most of them fall off ladders…The largest single cause worldwide of DIY injuries, is falling off ladders. Power tools and electricity are also high up on the list. We’ve all been zapped, zorked and have had some close calls- be careful out there. Link.
Amazon has 10 pages of Volume 2 up. Go check’em out- Made on Earth “Report from the world of backyard technology ” Mousey the Junkbot “With a few spare parts, you can turn an old computer mouse into an amusing little robot” DIY home and Toolbox are also up there at the moment. Just a taste, subscribe or order the mag! Link.
It’s the weekend, it’s starting to warm up- and that means lawn care season is just about here. CocoonTech has a great thread about making your own sprinkler system. There are enough electronics, planning, schematics and parts to make this a fun project. If I had a yard, I think I’d hook the sprinklers in to a weather reporting system along with a local “do not water” notification system so they won’t turn on if there’s a water shortage. Link.
Clever chair, could be a cheap way to make lots of things… Compress and roll your oldest papers and assemble them following the easy construction method illustrated. No doubt that the structural design of this very cheap compressed paper stool will be strong enough to support one or two friends at tea time. Link.
