Rotary Tool

Arc Reactor

Arc Reactor

Instructions for making your own Arc Reactor, similar to what Tony Stark wears in Iron Man. I’ll give you a general idea of how I built it, along with how it’s wired. Aside from the circuitry, this build is largely up to you, since I used a lot of scrap that I had lying around. […]

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Gravity Catapult

Gravity Catapult

I have long been enamored of catapults. Invented around 400 B.C., they were used until nearly A.D. 1300. So for 1,700 years, catapults were arguably the largest, most expensive, and most powerful machines on the planet. Today, people build catapults for fun: Scout troops, historical reenactors, fathers and daughters, beer-stoked college students. Having built more […]

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Geiger Counter

Geiger Counter

This DIY Geiger counter clicks and flashes an LED each time it detects a radioactive particle. It works with most common Geiger–Müller tubes, and easily connects to radiation rate meters, data loggers, true random number generators, and the Radiation Network’s GeigerGraph software. Share your radiation readings with the whole world!

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Air Guitar Hero

Air Guitar Hero

By Robert Armiger and Carol Reiley We created Air Guitar Hero as a fun rehabilitation exercise for people with amputations. Here we’ll show you how to make an inexpensive version so anyone can play Guitar Hero without pushing buttons. It uses an electrode cuff, a modified Wii guitar controller, and open source code. Wii-Hab Lab: […]

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Civilized Cat Toilet Training

Civilized Cat Toilet Training

Would you let your guests crap in a box on your floor? No? Then why would you let your cats? Here’s how to get them using the toilet like civilized members of the family. Aside from the risks of toxoplasmosis and other diseases transmitted by cat feces, there’s significant labor for the owner involved in […]

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Floating Glow Display

Floating Glow Display

Using this simple technique, you can etch a design into a thin pane of clear plastic sheeting, then enclose the edges of the plastic with reflective tape and embed a battery-powered LED. The resulting design appears backlit and hovering in mid-air, with a laser-like textured glow that photographs cannot do justice to. Check out more […]

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