3D-printed mechanical iris
Another gem from Madox.NET.
Gadgets
Open source VESA-compliant CNC iPad wall mount
North Carolinian Jonathan Danforth designed this laminated iPad wall mount, which he calls The Walet Mount, for CNC manufacture, and made the DXF files freely available on Thingiverse so you can make your own. The back features keyhole slots for direct-to-wall mounting and VESA-standard holes for mounting to any compliant monitor mount (such as an articulated arm) and the side features a contoured through-hole for the headphone cord. Jonathan will sell you a complete unit manufactured in Plyboo bamboo plywood for $65. [Thanks, Angus!]
Knitting Clock
Matt Mets @ Make: Online writes: Designer Siren Elise Wilhelmsen built this 365 clock that tells time by knitting a scarf very slowly. In this case, it knits one round of the scarf every 24 hours, creating a new clothing item for you every year. It reminds me of just-in-time manufacturing techniques- wouldn’t it be […]
Last chance to enter the Gadget Freak Design Contest!
Just a friendly reminder to those of you who are polishing up your entries for the Gadget Freak Design Contest: The deadline is tonight at 11:59 PM California time. The grand prize is $1000 cash and a free storefront in Makers Market. When you enter, be sure to upload finished or in-process project shots or video to the contest Flickr pool!
Microcontroller pet feeder build
Pet owners who want to spend a day hiking, at the beach, shopping at the mall or even a weekend far from home can build an automatic pet feeder to dispense water and dry food at a preset time. Tom Thompson, Julie Redmond, Curtis Siebenaller and Nathan Woodworth at Colorado State University explain how to combine electronic and mechanical devices to do just that.
‘Liquid armor’ based on shear-thickening non-Newtonian fluids
Speaking broadly, non-Newtonian fluids are of two types: Either they get thinner under shear, or they get thicker. Shear-thickening fluids, like the common corn flour-water mixture sometimes called “oobleck,” obviously, get thicker when a force is applied. This new and highly secretive non-Newtonian fluid formulation by British defense giant BAE is like oobleck to the power of ten, and can, reportedly, be very effectively combined with Kevlar to improve human body armor performance against bullets. [via Fast Company]
Clever grabby robo-hook
Reportedly this cam-actuated, weight-activated grabbing hook from designer Stefan Bennedahl “makes it easy to hang things like towels that tend to fall off hooks,” which I’m willing to buy into if for no other reason than that it looks like a heckuva lot of fun to use. Design Within Reach actually lives up to its name with these, which are only $10 apiece.
