Popular Mechanics has an informative piece on the many trials and tribulations of the fledgling “jet pack” industry, starting with the deceit in the name itself: Then there’s the bad news. First, these jet packs aren’t what they seem: Jet-powered devices are in development (and models were tested as early as the ’60s), but all […]
Electric cars, and conversion kits, can be found all over the Internet. But when was the last time you saw a full size electric plane? Yeah, me neither. This is not an RC toy, it’s a full size, human carrying, electric plane powered by an 18 kW, 25hp, brushed “industrial” motor. It flew for 48 […]
BALLS 17, the premiere experimental rocketry launch contest, has been announced for Sept 26, 27, 28 in Black Rock, Nevada. The event website has details on BALLS 17 and the competition rules. This is the extreme rocketry event where experimental rocketeers push the envelope of size, staging/clustering, altitude, home-made components and motors, and cutting-edge rocket […]
Another successful high altitude balloon flight with some gorgeous images. Alexei writes: High altitude ballooning is an emerging hobby, since the price of GPS and communications equipment has gotten quite low. It is an excellent hobby for people fascinated by space flight and telerobotics and has many learning aspects — from systems design to electronics […]
An industrial robot turned into a bowling ball-heaving catapult. RoboPult – [via] Link
Say no more. (Usual cautions apply and read the comments for some tips on “keeping all your digits and spleen,” which is always something to keep in mind.) Pneumatic Snowball Cannon – Link
Kevin Cook does a nice job of documenting his building of a 93″, 45 lb., M-motor rocket, done as part of his Level 3 high-power rocketry certification. Kevin Cook’s Red and Black “Sky Attack” Level 3 Certification Project – [via] Link
