Secret-Knock Gumball Machine
Make a cute candy vending machine that only dispenses treats when you knock the secret rhythm on its front panel.
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Nuts
Tiny Wanderer
In early 2011 my robot club, the Dallas Personal Robotics Group, was looking for a way to help our beginning members build up their skills. To this end, we produced a series of lessons covering 5 topics needed to make a simple, programmable robot: making PCBs with the toner transfer method, programming ATtiny microprocessors, laying […]
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The Wimshurst Influence Machine
When assembling a proper laboratory, the gentleman or lady experimenter should be sure to include a Wimshurst electrostatic generating machine. This device will serve tirelessly in investigations into the field of natural philosophy, and provide interesting parlor games such as the “electric kiss.” Herein we will demonstrate the construction of such a spectacular device, with […]
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Cardboard Cat Rocket
No matter how many fancy cat toys they have, there is nothing in this world that makes my cats happier than a good old fashioned cardboard box. So, taking a cue from them, I designed a cat tree that turns four regular cardboard boxes into a flashy two-story cat rocket, complete with carpet for scratching […]
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The “Discreet Companion” Ladies’ Raygun
Torch lighters are handy, cheap, and easy to find. They come in a wide variety of shapes and styles, so there’s room for customizing to your personal taste. I normally modify mine with antique parts, but here I chose parts that you can get in most hardware and home stores. The finished raygun works well […]
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The Drill Rod, the Drill-Powered Mini Bike
Run a mini “Electric Punk” bike faster (and funnier) by powering it with a big, bad cordless drill.
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Teleclaw: Remote Robot Gripper
It might have been Robots of Saturn that first got my young brain thinking about building a mechanical man. In that obscure 1962 sci-fi adventure novel, Dig Allen and his fellow teenage space explorers transfer their thoughts into the bodies of teleoperated robots to mine Saturn’s dangerous rings for precious Methane-X. Using some of my […]
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