Weekend Project: $10 Pseudoscope
Build an amazing optical toy that plays tricks on your brain.
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!
Incredible tire sculptures
So often creative-reuse and found-object art has a “junky” quality that’s hard to escape because…well, you know, it’s basically made from junk. I always applaud the effort to turn trash into treasure, but it’s rarely done so well as in the case of these amazing sculptures from reclaimed tires. That the material is such an […]
Another MAKEcation family challenge
This makes me happier than I can tell you! It’s another family that spends their vacation/family time together making things. Steve Hoefer writes: Whenever a bunch of my family gets together it becomes readily apparent that most of us like to make stuff. And it just so happens that the first weekend of May a […]
Catching photons with solar nets
[Photo from Connors934 on Flickr] A few weeks ago I was at Mass Maritime Academy and was impressed by their efforts to use and prove out solar powered lighting for their walkways. The lights illuminate the northwest campus areas around the dormitories and dining hall. The lights, provided by SolarOneรยฎ and Hadco, are powered by […]
Bus-tracking system at Georgia Tech
Students at Georgia Tech developed this Arduino-based, solar-powered bus-tracking system that shows students where the buses are on campus at any given time so they can decide if it’s quicker to wait for the bus or walk to their next class. The site for the system has lots of information and media on the system’s […]
Motorized mountainboard
Here’s a motorized mountainboard built by some mechanical engineering students from Colorado State. I love the hand-controller/horn cased inside of a hair dryer. A downloadable PDF has the build notes and parts list. Gadget Freak Case 140: Motorized Mountainboard
How-To: Detecting mercury in light bulbs
I thought this chemistry video by Jen K was really interesting. You may not be able to perform this particular experiment at home since you need access to an Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. However, the video does give an interesting look at how they perform this experiment in the lab. Mercury is detected in light bulbs […]
