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!
Yesterday, engineer Takuo Toda, president of the Japan origami aeroplane association, set a world flight record for a traditional-origami paper plane of 26.1 seconds. He’s had longer flights, but they involved the use of scissors, tape, or other non-traditional materials. [via Neatorama]
Flickr user j_tenkely wanted to do his own powder coating, so he bought a commercial powder-gun and built a custom oven in his garage. He says, “the entire oven cost about $250, but when it runs about $150 to do a bike frame & fork, it’s easy to break-even.”
Fractal polyhedra clusters By George Hart for the Museum of Mathematics At The Math Museum, we are interested in making cool mathematical ideas accessible and tactile. With a good 3D printing machine, you can make beautiful fractal polyhedra clusters like the one below. This nylon model consists of twelve groups of twelve small stellated dodecahedra. […]
> Elvis and Kresse, a Dutch accessory company, rounds up old firehoses and produces a line of bags made from them. [via Core77]
New Year’s Eve ‘blue moon’ to ring in 2010! Once in a blue moon there is one on New Year’s Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don’t expect it to be blue […]
Cathal Garvey in Cork, Ireland, developed this 3D printable centrifuge attachment for a rotary tool, dubbing it the “Dremelfuge.” What an awesome alternative to an expensive piece of lab equipment, congrats on paving the way for DIY science! If you don’t have access to a 3D printer to print your own, he’s made it available […]
In the market for a Klein Bottle or just a wool hat shaped like one? Check out the selection at Acme Klein Bottle. In 1882, Felix Klein imagined sewing two Möbius Loops together to create a single sided bottle with no boundary. Its inside is its outside. It contains itself. Take a rectangle and join […]
