Science

DIY science is the perfect way to use your creative skills and learn something new. With the right supplies, some determination, and a curious mind, you can create amazing experiments that open up a whole world of possibilities. At home-made laboratories or tech workshops, makers from all backgrounds can explore new ideas by finding ways to study their environment in novel ways – allowing them to make breathtaking discoveries!

Recyclable Bloom laptop

Autodesk has been giving away Inventor of the Month awards. The October award was given to a group of Stanford grad students. They designed the “Bloom laptop,” which is designed to be completely field-stripped in a couple of minutes for ease of recycling, without the use of tools. One side benefit of their design is […]

Make: Projects – Laser projection microscope

Make: Projects – Laser projection microscope

A couple of weeks ago I posted about this sweet laser stunt from Teravolt.org, and I finally got around to trying it for myself. My laser is only 10% as powerful as theirs, but I can now say with conviction: Everyone should try this.

The only tricky part is getting the laser and the hanging drop of water lined up and keeping them aligned, but this simple stand I built from hardware store odds-and-ends makes it easy. The laser and syringe snap into broom clips mounted on supermagnet bases which allow easy positional adjustments, but hold strongly enough to keep everything in alignment once you’ve got it right.

Fairbairn cranes on Flickr

Fairbairn cranes on Flickr

A reader who saw last night’s post about human-powered cranes and lifting machines e-mailed me to point out that many of the Fairbairn hand-cranked cranes featured in that post’s title image are still around, and that there is in fact a Flickr group that collects photos from enthusiasts. At least one of the cranes has […]

Maker Pioneers: Saul Griffith

Have you checked out our Green Projects Contest site yet? We’re off to a fine start with some clever, fun projects and ideas. Vote for the ones you like. Put up your own projects, grab your “tag,” and spread it across the interwebs. Get your social network to vote for your projects. Tag Your Green! […]