DIY Projects

HOW TO – Bending Spacetime in the Basement

HOW TO – Bending Spacetime in the Basement

Img413 36Here’s an illustrated guide to build your own gravity measuring device, pretty cool videos. “…a “basement science” experiment which reveals the universality of gravitation by demonstrating the gravitational attraction between palpable objects on the human scale. The experiment deliberately uses only the crudest and most commonplace materials, permitting anybody who’s so inclined to perform it. Einstein’s 1915 theory of General Relativity explains gravitation as spacetime curvature created by matter and energy. So, by demonstrating how every object in the universe attracts everything else, we’re bending spacetime in the basement.” Thanks bf5man! Link.

How stuff is made…

How stuff is made…

Hi CableAnother great how-it’s-made-site – “How Stuff Is Made is a visual encyclopedia that documents the manufacturing processes, labor conditions and environmental impacts involved in the production of contemporary products. It is a free, independent, academic resource published by engineering and design students, who research and produce summative photoessays describing these conditions of creation.” Thanks Star! Link.

The Client / Server Door Opener

The Client / Server Door Opener

Img413 50Alexandre made his own door opener – “I sit about 5m from my office’s door. So, every time someone ringed the bell I had to stand up and open the door. That would be fine if the door did not have an electric door opener just next to it! An ingenious device that allows you to open the door by simply pressing a button. Because of this, the device had no use at all. After all, if you were in front of the door, you could simply open it using the handle. Thus my goal was to give a purpose for the simple life of this poor electric door opener (and, of course, to save a walk of 5m ten times per day).” [via] Link.

Robomaid Hacked

AttachNeoteric writes “This is my second robot after getting the kit for Christmas. No prior electronics experience. The robomaid redo I have been working on is complete. I call it Robomaid2. It uses the outside of this product. It uses 5 IR pairs. 2 in front, 2 on the side, one in back. The front pair is for detecting mfront collisions. The theory of the side pair is that the robomaid2 can hang very close to the walls and cupboard bases, where most of the dust is. (I have not completed the code for this, although it works pretty well like it is) The back IR helps when the robot gets a little too cramped. It rotates, and the back IR helps it get out of loops by kicking the robot forward.” [via] Link.

Make your own Chewing Gum…

Make your own Chewing Gum…

ChewkitTasty project! “Make your own chewing gum with chicle, the sap of the Sapodilla tree that grows in the rainforests of Central America. Everything you need is included in this kit and it’s easy! You can make your own gum on the stove or with a microwave. Once all chewing gum was made from chicle. That’s the sap of the sapodilla tree, which grows in rainforest in Central America. Men called “chicleros” climb up the tall trees, and with their machetes, cut criss-crosses in the trunks so that the sticky sap flowed out. Then the chicle was processed and turned into gum.” [via] Link.