Technology

Component of the Month: Op Amps

Component of the Month: Op Amps

Each month this year, we’re exploring a different electronic component, delving into what it is, how it works, and how you use it in projects. Last month we covered resistors, and before that we looked at batteries. This month we examine operational amplifiers, often called op amps. An op amp is an electronic component used […]

DIY Robot Building, Circa 1956

DIY Robot Building, Circa 1956

Stuart “Mr. Retro” Sandler built a super retro robot from plans found in a 57-year-old copy of Boys Life he’d purchased from eBay. Stuart had heard about the robot as a teenager and wrote to the magazine for the copy of the plans. They sent him a photocopy but left out a couple of key […]

Pitches with Prototypes: Falkor Systems’ Pet AR.Drone

Pitches with Prototypes: Falkor Systems’ Pet AR.Drone

In the run-up to the Hardware Innovation Workshop (May 14-15), we’ll be introducing aspiring companies and makers competing in the “pitches with prototypes” contest. First up is Falkor System’s Pet AR. Drone. The product is still in development, but CEO Sameer Parekh imagines it as a personal drone for extreme sports photography. Doing a little BASE jumping? Let your drone follow you down while the camera rolls. He calls it “out of body” recording.

New American Sweatshop

New American Sweatshop

Artist and inventor Amelia Marzec has created an ingenious community project, called “New American Sweatshop,” in which she is attempting to reduce our dependence on electronics produced in sweatshops by salvaging components from broken electronics to be used in new domestic electronics projects. The New American Sweatshop is an immersive experience where participants re-purpose electronic […]