Fordson Snow Machine handles drifts with ease
Here’s a cool video demonstrating the Fordson Snow Machine, a 1920’s screw-propelled vehicle. I’m just glad it doesn’t snow that much where I live!
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!
Improbable gyro monorail
This improbable-looking gyro-powered monorail appears to have been built by MORI Hiroshi. The monorail car balances on the track using a gyroscope flywheel, with a control system that can change its alignment to keep the car upright.
Real-life “landspeeder” prototype
Noah Shactman just brought Israeli defense contractor Urban Aeronautics’ AirMule VTOL UAV project to my attention. The photo released by Urban Aeronautics, shown above, purports to show the first successful hovering flight of an AirMule prototype, secured against wandering off by guy-wires. Video would’ve been more persuasive. The design goal of the AirMule project is to produce an unmanned vehicle that can be used to ferry supplies into, or wounder soldiers out of, a hostile, closely-packed urban combat environment. [via Danger Room]
Rocking horse from vintage Vespa
Don’t know grandpa’s name, but the lucky grandson he made this thing for is “Diego”. [via Boing Boing]
Alternative representations of the periodic table
The periodicity of properties of the chemical elements has been represented many, many different ways since Mendeleev. The modern standardized periodic table is only one of a potentially infinite number of graphical representations of the empirical trends. If you understand the logic of the periodic table, looking through these “alternative” representations can be a lot of fun. There are hundreds of them! [via Boing Boing]
Math Monday: Giant Burr Puzzles
Giant burr puzzles By George Hart for the Museum of Mathematics For the Math Midway exhibition, The Math Museum created a set of large geometric puzzles. The one seen here is a traditional six-piece burr puzzle in which the six notched pieces of wood interlock in a clever way. When assembled, there are two pieces […]
Solar charging station on a dog
The solar dog prototype charger from Erik Schiegg is a solar panel attached to a dog sweater. I’m not sure how efficient it is, but I could see this being handy.