DIY Gadgets
Making your own or hacking gadgets can be great fun, hear we share the various DIY gadget projects that we’ve found or done.
Romanian teenager advances self-driving car idea
Ionut Budisteanu of Romania certainly does seem to have a pretty bright future ahead of him, especially after he picked up the top prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which so happens to be the largest high school science research competition in the world. This would mean that Ionut Budisteanu managed to earn the Gordon E. Moore Award, in addition to a $75,000 prize that was named in honor of the Intel co-founder and fellow scientist. According to the organizers of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, “Their research demonstrates the value of hard work and creative thinking. All the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair finalists here this week show great promise in harnessing the power of science and innovation to solve problems and create opportunity for our global community.” Just what made Ionut’s work so valuable? Well, he manages to address a major global issue by potentially reducing the cost of a self-driving car dramatically, so much so that it could make such technology affordable to the mainstream folks.
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DIY USB Flash Drive Heroes
Depending on whether you have a penchant for the Kung Fu Master or the Queen’s Guard, either way, both of them are heroes in the sight of some. We are referring to the £19.99 DIY USB Flash Drive Heroes, where you will be able to choose from a couple of the greatest warriors ever to walk the Earth – at least within their respective courtyards, of course.
It does not matter whether your choice is the Kung-Fu Master or the mighty Queens Guard, either way, both of them will be able to carry up to 8GB of information within, safeguarding it with their lives. Each of these USB flash drives will be made from tactile, water resistant silicone that boasts of multiple moving parts as well as accessories, and surely it puts the word “flash” in the DIY USB Flash Drive Heroes name! These novelty USB sticks will be different from the rest, since you will be able to retain the protective cap, while the techy section remains protected at all times in a Pez dispenser style. You will be able to build yours from the ground up if you have a penchant for all things DIY.
DIY Paper USS Enterprise 1701 Kit
Being involved in galactic travel is definitely an expensive process and massive undertaking for any country, let alone corporation. Of course, we have fictional companies like the Weyland Corporation or the Umbrella Corporation that seem to have bottomless reserves of money to fund their activities, but here we are presented with a far more affordable way of space travel – using your imagination only, of course. I am referring to the $19.99 DIY Paper USS Enterprise 1701 Kit.
The name of the DIY Paper USS Enterprise 1701 Kit says it all, it glorifies paper and not space as the final frontier, and each purchase will come with all the relevant bits and pieces required for you to construct your very own ultimate paper model of the original USS Enterprise 1701. Heck, to make sure that there is the added touch of realism just in case your imagination fails you, a bunch of electronics will also give it lights and sound, and there will be an accompanying book that chronicles the different Enterprises of the Star Trek universe. If you can fix IKEA furniture yourself, assembling the DIY Paper USS Enterprise 1701 Kit should not be a pain since it comes with step-by-step instructions for assembly.
Lego creation launches paper planes
Before there was Minecraft, there is Lego, and one cannot deny the fact that Lego has done plenty to kick start the imagination of many a young kid. The thing is, while Minecraft has more or less garnered a loyal following on the computer as well as on the Xbox 360 in addition to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, the physical and spiritual predecessor from Denmark, Lego, is still around – and growing from strength to strength, I might add. Lego bricks have long been used in creative ways to exercise the brains of your little ones (and adults alike), so much so that entire theme parks have been built around Lego bricks. Well, the more creative minds do come up with something interesting once in a while, and here we are with this motorized Lego machine. What makes this motorized Lego machine different from the rest is that it can fold paper airplanes, followed by launching them into the air afterwards.
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Toa Mata Band is the first LEGO band ever
The power of imagination certainly has no boundaries. When you give a kid a box of Lego bricks, leave him or her alone, and after some time, you would most probably end up with something totally new and never thought of before. Recently, I saw an ad that went somewhere along the lines of “boys will never grow old of their toys”, but rather, they just change them. Italian music producer Giuseppe Acito is no longer a boy, but he still has use for Lego bricks, and his ingenuity has come up with what he has called the “Toa Mata Band”, where it is comprised of a handful of small, robotic Lego figures that have been programmed to play a range of musical instruments, no less.
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Electric Stun Sword is certainly one menacing weapon
Which would you prefer to be on the receiving end of? The razor sharp edge of the sword, or being tased to the ground, having jolts of electricity course through your body as though you were wrecked by Force Lightning by Emperor Palpatine? Well, come to think of it, isn’t being hit by a lightsaber somewhat a similar feeling like the Electric Stun Sword? After all, it cuts through just about anything, and is made up of pure energy? The Electric Stun Sword is actually the brainchild of a certain YouTube user known as Jonathan, where he was experimenting with a double-bladed Shock Mod Ninja Sword in order to imbue it with Taser-like functionality. Sounds as though it is one of those science fiction weapons, but it is very, very real.
Continue reading » Electric Stun Sword is certainly one menacing weapon
Man builds own Oreo Separator
I don’t know about you, but I am an absolute sucker for Oreos. After all, I find it really difficult to resist the cream filling of each Oreo cookie, and all willpower just wilts when faced with a roll of Oreos and a glass of cold milk, as the twist and dunk combo is definitely one of my favorite comfort foods. Well, artist and inventor David Neevel must be one of the very few people in the world who hate the cream that lines each Oreo cookie, and the inventor side of him decided to do something quirky – be developing a machine that allows him to remove the creamy part of the Oreo cookie.
Neevel’s Oreo Separator Machine, as he calls it, is a creation that defies logic – who in their right mind would resist the creamy bit of an Oreo cookie? Well, the invention will comprise of a mish mash of items, including aluminum, wood, a hatchet and floss, all put together in his garage in Portland, Oregon. Of course, Neevel did have to pay a price to build the Oreo Separator Machine, taking approximately two weeks of his time to do so. Neevel said, “It was a big time commitment. I had to work some long hours. I didn’t see my girlfriend or my dog for hours at a time.”
I don’t think he’d find a decent market who would be willing to pay him money for his invention, as scraping off the cream using the blunt edge of a butter knife is a whole lot cheaper.
X-Wing Coffee Table
Is this the ultimate nerd coffee table or what? Barry Shields has spent a good chunk of his time to get fanboys of Star Wars, especially of the X-Wing starfighter, to construct a coffee table that is functional, timeless and beautiful. Taking nearly half a year to carve it out from scratch to its finish, you can be sure that this is one sturdy coffee table, but we warned – the glass can break, as the deflector shields on this thing does not seem to be operational.
According to Barry, both the top and bottom halves which sandwich the glass have been bolted together, so should you bump into it by accident while walking by, it will still remain intact. The front itself comes with 3 points of support contact with the glass, so that whenever the glass moves from bumping and the front landing gear moves, the support arms will still remain intact with the glass. Careful attention is paid to the X-Wing, as the bottom of of the ship is just as detailed as the top. A combination of poplar, pine and black walnut wood is used to ensure that the final product is easy on the eyes, but not too popular with the wallet with its $5,500 price point. Ah well, at least you know this is custom made and one of a kind.
