4xAA

Light Theremin

Light Theremin

Anyone who’s shivered in the dark at a scary movie or laughed at the unintentional cheese-ball of a bad sci-fi (paging Ed Wood) knows the eerie sounds of the theremin. In the classic theremin design, two antennas control pitch and volume, and you play the instrument by moving your hands near the antennas without touching […]

Arduino Mail Notifier

Arduino Mail Notifier

Many inventions/hacks often arise out of the need to solve a problem. The Arduino mailer notifier project was no exception. My workshop is in my backyard. During the day, I am far away from my mailbox. Using two Arduinos, some cheap RF modules, and a light sensor, I was able to create a solution that […]

NASA MAKE Challenge 2011 Winner: “Bring It Back” Microgravity Kit

NASA MAKE Challenge 2011 Winner: “Bring It Back” Microgravity Kit

“Bring It Back” Microgravity Kit by Prashant Rao & Subra Sankaran Prashant Rao, Ph.D., Principal Engineer, Barrios/Jacobs/ESCG Subra Sankaran, Ph.D., Senior Thermal Specialist, MEIT/Jacobs/ESCG at NASA JSC, 2224 Bay Area Blvd, Houston TX 77058 Three experiments are described here (with suggestions for additional experiments) that use molten wax in different setups to demonstrate important principles […]

The Truth Meter

The Truth Meter

By Sean M. Montgomery and Ira M. Laefsky Excerpted from a Primer on Biosensing in MAKE Volume 26. When you experience an arousing stimulus, like an evocative question, a startling noise, or even a disturbing thought, your body generates a variety of psychophysical responses. One of these is micro-pulses of sweat released after a 1- […]