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!
Haberlandt acts as a biotechnological vending machine by growing and maintaining an algae in a super optimized and continuous production state. Haberlandt is designed to sustain any suspension culture, currently consisting on Spirulina algae (Arthrospira Platensis). Biological conditions are maintained troughout the system via a processor. Inputs are measured and sent to the processor and […]
Jeremy Cook advances the potato cannon arms race from muzzle- to breech-loading eras with this .602 caliber pneumatic spud gun prototype that fires from a high-pressure gas reservoir instead of via the familiar fuel-ignition system.
By George Hart for the Museum of Mathematics Continuing last week’s theme of mathematical coffee tables, here is one designed by Michael Serra, inspired by the work of Piet Hein. The base consists of six pieces from a set of Hein’s SOMA puzzle, so the remaining two pieces are available as end tables. The glass […]
Spotted in the MAKE Flickr pool, this homemade contraption from user Whymcycle who, besides having the best UID I’ve ever heard, has this to say about his creation:
Made from an 8 foot..96?..pair of power line spool hoops, sized down and painstakingly re-arc-ed back to more or less circular 84?, and crossbars of electrical conduit. Also with 4 handholds made from Schwinn Varsity drop bars…and foot straps of old car seat belts. We’ll see if practice, persistence and careful study of YouTube European footage..will allow me to learn some of the art of Wheel Gymnastics.
The device itself is called a “Rhönrad,” “gymnastics wheel,” or “German wheel,” and is apparently the basis of an entire sport in Germany.
Andrew D. Carson of Glendale, Wisconsin, whose classic recycled recumbent build came in 3rd in yesterday’s roundup of most-trafficked recumbent bike posts, contacted us and asked that we post a more modern picture of his Mach 2 frame. Looks great, A.D.!
Jon Chandler has written a fantastic getting-started article on selecting an AC-to-DC power supply for your home electronics project over at Digital DIY. It covers the very basic details of voltage and current selection, and goes on to clearly and succinctly explain what “linear,” “regulated,” and “switching” power supplies are, and, most importantly IMHO, gives a bunch of practical tips on how to identify the various species of wall warts, in the wild, and determine if they are suitable for your own application. [via Hack a Day]
I can’t tell you how much it warms my editor’s heart to see readers trying their hands at the projects we publish and reporting the results back to us. Charlotte DeKoning saw our recent Math Monday column on making mathematical constructions with office supplies and decided to accept the challenge of building a snub dodecahedron […]
