Hasta La Gadget!

Nic Case loves his R/C cars. In fact, he just broke a world record for the fastest R/C car, which is aptly called the R/C Bullet. This one-tenth scale car has hit a top speed of over 188 mph, breaking Case’s own record of 171.97 mph. To put that in perspective, the top speed of a V8 Jaguar F-Type is 186mph.

How did it get to be that fast? Most of the car is custom-designed and fabricated to be as light, sturdy, and aerodynamic as possible. The vehicle weighs just 10 pounds and generates 10 horsepower from its electric motors. All of that power is transferred to the wheels using a low-profile scoop-shaped body and 3-inch tires.

Another problem he had to deal with is that when the car gets up to speed, the motor spins so fast that it produces a gyroscopic effect that threatens to throw the vehicle off target. So Nic added a heavy brass weight to the drive shaft that counters the inertia of the motor. Nic thinks he can get it to go even faster with some additional tweaks.

[via Geek]

These special shotgun shells take the green revolution to the next level. If planting stuff the traditional way is too boring for you, then you might want to shoot up gardens instead with Flower Shells as your ammo. You could also pack a couple of seed bombs that you can toss when you’re out of shells.

The Flower Shells were thought up by developer Per Cromwell of Studio Total. Unlike Flower Grenades, Flower Shells actually contain gunpowder so you can blast them as you would blast real bullets with your shotgun. Each shell contains a reduced amount of gunpowder and is filled with flower seeds. Shoot the shells into patches of dirt or grass with it and you’ll see daisies, sunflowers, and meadow flowers blossoming in those spots in a matter of weeks.

The Flower Shells are currently up for funding on Indiegogo, where a pledge of $50(USD) will get you a set of four shells. Shotgun sold separately.

[via C|NET]

We’ve featured lots of cool and geeky chess sets over the years, but never one that’s quite as badass as this one, made from bullets and steel. Yeah! This chess set will chew you up and spit you out like an Expendables movie.

Every individual piece in this chess set is meticulously crafted by Olde World Collectibles and Creations. They take empty .223 caliber bullet casings and cut and bend them into various shapes – then mount them each on a hardwood base. Each one conveys the different chess pieces well, and I especially like the way he made the rooks look like little castles, and the king is just an undisturbed bullet, complete with tip (but hopefully no gunpowder inside.)

Not only are the pieces cool but the board underneath is a work of art, made from cut pieces of hot-rolled steel, welded together onto a sturdy frame. You could probably drive a truck on this thing without damaging it (but don’t.) Shipping weight for the set, including board and pieces is a whopping 23 pounds. Heck, yeah!

The Steel and Bullet Chess Set is available over on Etsy for $550(USD), and each one is made custom to order, so it’ll take 2 to 4 weeks for completion. If you can’t afford one don’t try and make your own using live ammo.

If you find yourself in the position of regularly having your iPad shot at, VestGuard UK sure has the tablet case for you. The Ballistic cover is made of “cutting edge uni-directional aramid fibers processed to a high tolerance in VestGuard’s state of the art facility” that make it possible for the case to stop bullets from a 9mm handgun. In other words, the company’s bulletproof claims are “not a metaphor,” as stated in the post-script of its press materials. And judging from its current selection of products, which include body armor, de-mining helmets and Kevlar gloves, the company knows a thing or two about heavy duty protection. Not a lot in the way of information on availability at the moment, however, since the covers are not quite ready for sale.

Filed under: Tablet PCs

VestGuard UK Ballistic cover will protect your iPad from tablet-related gunplay originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments