DIY flight simulator motion rig
Matt Thomas of Roger Dodger Aviation (and Maker Faire Kansas City fame) designed and built this Moving Axis AirCraft Simulator, which is a flight simulator that tilts and shifts you as you fly a virtual plane.
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!
How-To: Tire Sandals
Awesome tire sandals! RGR_375 whipped these up from a section of car tire and some sections of bike tube. More: Retro-Style Running Shoes from Old Tires Bike Tube Headband
The Mechanical Glory of the IBM Selectric Typewriter
A “whiffletree” is a mechanical digital-to-analog converter. Brilliant science-and-technology documentarian Bill Hammack, professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Illinois, has produced this fascinating video anatomy of IBM’s classic Selectric typewriter, in which a 7-bit whiffletree is employed to convert keypresses (digital) to precisely coordinated tugs (analog) on the control cables that rotate and tilt the type ball. Doubly awesome is the fact that the video features an appendix (yes, a video appendix) which focuses exclusively on the whiffletree itself, closely illustrating its operation with a simple 2-bit case.
Maker Birthdays: Carl Sagan
Born in Brooklyn on this date in 1934, galactic citizen Carl Sagan—scientist, educator, advocate, author, artist, interstellar diplomat—passed away in 1996. Today he would have been 76.
$5 PVC Van De Graaff generator
Adam Wolf of Wayne and Layne built this Van De Graaff generator out of a cheap hobbyist motor, a rubber band, some Shape Lock, a pop can, a toothpick, and other el-cheapo components. I built this in one afternoon at my parent’s place in Wisconsin–in a town that lacks good hardware stores. While building it, […]
Impressive laser-cut wooden Mars rover model
Back in April I blogged about the plans and kits for this and other elaborate laser-cut wooden models available from WoodMarvels.com. At the time, I snarked a bit about how all the images on their website are actually CG renderings, implying that, with models that complicated, it’d be nice to have some reassurance that somebody, somewhere, had put together a real physical version in the real physical world before giving up the green. Well, MAKE pal and dynamite CNC contractor Angus Hines sprung for a set of plans, cut the parts on his own equipment, and took these cool photos of the assembled model on red clay to suggest the Martian surface. [Thanks, Angus!]
Gaming for a Cure, Part II
In Breakthroughs to Cures, happening all day November 9th, you are launched into the future and asked how you would prevent major health catastrophes if you had unlimited resources and support from the President of the good ol’ U.S. of A.