Switchblade Ninja Star
Cool mechanical toy made by Thingiverse user Zach Redding for his little brother, who requested “a ninja star where the blades pop out.” I want one water-jet-cut from stainless steel.
3D Printing & Imaging
If you’re a maker, 3d printing is an incredibly useful tool to have in your arsenal. Not only can it help bring your projects to life faster, but it can also offer unique results that would be difficult (or impossible!) to achieve with traditional methods. In these blog posts, we’ll provide you with some essential information and tips regarding 3D printing for makers—including the basics of how to get started, plus creative tutorials for spicing up your projects. Whether you’re already familiar with 3d printing or are just starting out, these resources will help take your game-making skills even further!
Android Controlled 3D Printed Slalombot
Walking, rolling, floating, and swimming among the packed crowd at the Google I/O afterparty were numerous robots autonomous and otherwise under the influence. If you were to drop by the Maker Faire booth you would have gotten the chance to try your luck at navigating the slalom course with Brian Jepson’s 3D printed Slalombot using an Android smartphone’s accelerometer.
Stratsys Fortus Unboxing
i.materialise’s new printer is so massive (about 6,600 pounds) that it had to be hauled out of the truck by a crane and crammed through the door by a whole bunch of dudes. [Thanks, Joris]
Cycloidal Speed Reducer
From Thingiverse user mattmoses. I cannot resist a good .GIF mechanism animation
MicroSD Drive Poses As Mini Atari 810 Floppy
We owned an Atari 800, when I was a kid, and also owned the full-size original version of this drive. Rossum built this tiny simulacrum around an MicroSD drive that uses 8 GB cards. The case is a 3D print from Shapeways.
Sharpie Pen Plotter
Check out this Sharpie plotter attachment for the Phlatprinter CNC kit cutter. Even though it requires a manual pen swap, it’s still mesmerizing to watch it plot in image.
Meet the Makers: Nirav Patel
Nirav Patel is literally making things with a wave of his hand. Harnessing a hacked Kinect, he has written a program for “Gestural 3D Printing”. He calls the project “inane and irrelevant” but it is actually a perfect, shining example of creative ingenuity!
