Bicycles

Blast From The Past: “SpringWalker” Running Exoskeleton

Blast From The Past: “SpringWalker” Running Exoskeleton

I am indebted to a commenter on yesterday’s skeletonics post for reminding me of G. John Dick and Eric A. Edwards’ SpringWalker spring-powered lower-body exoskeleton. Using the slightly half-baked terms I proposed yesterday, the SpringWalker is another notable example of a “passive” exoskeleton, i.e. one that amplifies the speed and range of a motion, but does not actually add power. An oldie but a goodie, the SpringWalker was patented in 1991, back when the term of a US patent was still 17 years, and is thus now out of patent. [Thanks, DanYHKim!]

“Skeletonics” Exoskeleton Is Kinda Like Stilts For Your Whole Body

“Skeletonics” Exoskeleton Is Kinda Like Stilts For Your Whole Body

All the primary source material here appears to be in Japanese, in which I am sadly illiterate, but word on the street is that this is a college-level student engineering project. It’s called Skeletonics, and I want to describe the technology as a “passive exoskeleton,” because it does not have any servomechanisms and just amplifies the speed and reach of the wearer’s natural movements. That would be opposed to an “active exoskeleton,” which, you know, would be one that actually adds power to a movement. I dunno what good it may be, but it sure looks like fun. If nothing else, you could build one and sell rides in it at the county fair. [via Hack a Day]

Tron Bag with EL Wire

Tron Bag with EL Wire

Tote your Thinkpad and port your Apple in style with our custom TRON-inspired laptop bag tutorial. With a little soldering and sewing skills you can have your own light up satchel, sure to impress geeky friends. So grab your sewing needle and soldering iron and follow along

This project was a collaboration between ladyada & becky stern, rock!

http://www.ladyada.net/make/tronbag/

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/12/el_wire_tron_bag.html

Sew a Drawstring Bike Seat Cover

Sew a Drawstring Bike Seat Cover

In this edition of the CRAFT Video, Becky Stern shows you how to make a custom fabric bike seat cover. You might make one if your bike seat is in disrepair, needs protection from rain, or, if you’re like me, you want to cover up your nice saddle to deter potential thieves from lifting your seat while your bike is locked up outside. http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/05/sew_a_drawstring_bike_seat_cov.html