Fun & Games

The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for bikes, rockets, R/C vehicles, toys and other diversions.

Makies

Alice Taylor: Inventing the Future of Toys

Alice Taylor is CEO of Makielab, a London-based startup that 3D prints customised action dolls called Makies. Customers design their doll on the Makie website, choosing facial features, hairstyles, eye and skin colour, and selecting outfits and accessories. The dolls – fully-poseable, and about 10 inches tall are then printed in London and shipped out. For the Makie and Alice, that’s the beginning of a long adventure.

I spoke to Alice about the adventure that she and Makielab have been on, playing with toys, working with geeks, and bringing 3D printing to the masses.

Lego Peristaltic Syrup Pump

Lego Peristaltic Syrup Pump

I spent a rather absurd amount of time last summer trying to build my own peristaltic pump — which delivers liquids through a food-safe tube by massaging it. So when I saw Miguel Valenzuela’s Lego peristaltic pump at Maker Faire New York, I was stoked! It goes with his PancakeBot, which uses Lego robotics to […]