Simon Burfield should get in touch with Eric Steenstra so they can have a LEGO go-kart race. Burfield used 16 Power Functions XL motors, 8 Power Functions battery packs and 20 Exo-Force wheels to make his life-size go-kart.
It looks less sturdy than Steenstra’s bulky build, but it can carry an adult, as you’ll see in the video below.
I wonder what its top speed is. It probably has, like, 350 MyLittlePonyPower.
[via MAKE]
Do you want a sociopathic robot to literally light up your life? Just follow Instructables user Dragonator’s lead and you’ll never feel safe in your own home again! Dragonator built a lamp that looks just like the Portal villainess using 3D printed parts and LEDs. If you’re really reckless, you can even make her move too.
Dragonator borrowed a couple of UP! 3D printers to complete his project. I’d love to summarize his instructions here, but just from looking at his build I’m sure you can all see that a lot of detailed labor and crafting went into it. As I said, Dragonator originally wanted to make the robotic arm move, but he designed other parts for the lamp in case you just want a lamp. That way you’ll also do away with most of the wiring. And possibly save yourself from being killed by a lamp. Luxo Jr. this is not.
Head to Dragonator’s Instructables page to check out his very detailed walkthrough. He also submitted his lamp to Instructable’s contest – winner gets an UP! 3D printer! – so if you liked his creation – or are deathly afraid of it – vote for him here!
[via Nerd Approved]
We’ve seen a variety of awesome crocheted items, mostly hats and amigurimi based on fictional characters. But artist Shanell Papp is more interested in real human beings. More specifically, what’s inside of us. Back in 2006, Papp crocheted LAB, a life-size skeleton with organs.
In an interview with Order of the Good Death, Papp mentioned a variety of reasons why she made LAB. She says that she’s into “death, medicine and horror”, and growing up was very curious about what our insides are like and what each part does. Aside from looking at anatomical textbooks, Papp actually borrowed a human skeleton to use as a reference when she was making LAB. All in all it took her 8 months to finish her work.
He’s ready for CSI: LittleBigPlanet. I highly suggest you check out the full interview on the Order of the Good Death. Papp has more pictures of LAB on her blog.
[via Laughing Squid]
It may not look like much, but this digital clock is actually the most depressing and horrifying timepiece I have seen. Made by artist Tom Schofield, the clock doesn’t tell the time. Instead it’s a visualization of the Doomsday Clock, a metric of global disaster made by The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Tom calls his creation the Neurotic Armaggedon Indicator. It’s neurotic because the clock’s other half is a server that constantly checks the home page of The Bulletin to find out the status of the Doomsday Clock. In truth, the Doomsday Clock is only adjusted every couple of years or so based on input from scientists and other authoritative sources.
Originally founded by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, the Bulletin tracks the dangers posed by man-made technologies – like nuclear power – as well as environmental factors like climate change. The closer it is to midnight, the closer we are to wiping all of humanity. Yep, we’re at 11:55 p.m.
I hope they never come out with a personalized version of the Doomsday Clock.
[via Popular Science via The Presurfer]
We’ve seen a couple of DIY Pip-Boy 3000s that used the case of the Pip-Boy clock collectible to make a faithful replica. But Flickr user Simon Liu aka Si-MOCs chose a more complex process, using his LEGO building skills to create what he calls the Pip-Boy3000Si.
Simon didn’t provide any details about his replica’s construction, but as you’ll see in the video below it has a working display. Simon also said that it has an FM radio.
Here’s a side quest for you, vault dweller: find Simon’s Flickr page and you’ll be rewarded with three high resolution pictures of the Pip-Boy 3000Si.
[via Ian Brooks]
Last year we featured SparkFun’s guide for making an electronic dice gauntlet. The instructions are still available online, but if you have more money than electronics know-how, check out this very similar product from ThinkGeek, which was probably inspired by SparkFun’s DIY project.
Just like the DIY gauntlet, this one can also roll a variety of dice when you flick your arm while wearing it. It can simulate a 2-, 4-, 6-, 8-, 12-, 20- or 100-sided die and even roll two dice at once.
Aside from being furrier than SparkFun’s gauntlet, this version can also be used as a clock, a stopwatch and a timer.
The downside to this gadget is its price. ThinkGeek is selling it for $70 (USD), which might make it unappealing to all but the high rollers.
Etsy seller Elizabeth Dean’s hand towels are embroidered with icons from classic videogames and sci-fi franchises, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda and Doctor Who. They’re great for tidying up the occasional geekgasm. Actually I don’t know what that’s like and I don’t want to know.
Just look at that Kirby hand towel. How can anyone resist that face? Plus it probably gets bigger as it gets wetter. I’m sorry I meant it gets bigger as you use it. Dammit lets just look at the pictures!
You can order the hand towels from Elizabeth’s Etsy shop Seams Geeky for $10 to $13 (USD) each. That Star Trek towel will go where no towel has gone before. I’m going to stop now.
Arduino microcontrollers are beloved by students and hobbyists because they’re affordable, small and versatile. Those are the same exact traits that the RFduino microcontroller possesses. In addition, it has one thing that other Arduino boards don’t have: built-in Bluetooth connectivity.
The RFduino was developed by Open Source RF, an electronics shop that makes Arduino-compatible peripherals and modules. The shop’s tiny invention makes it possible for people to make small gadgets and sensors that can be controlled or monitored wirelessly using a smartphone. You’ll have to buy and then fit a separate wireless shield to an Arduino board to achieve the same functionality.
Speaking of shields, the RFduino also has compatible shields that extend its functionality, including one with a USB-port and another with a coin cell battery slot. It also runs code written in the Arduino programming language, which should really make it an enticing platform for Arduino users. Check out the video below to see how the RFduino can be used:
They should have called it the Fleaduino – a small board with mad reach. Build a Pledge-Bot and pay at least $19 (USD) on the RFduino Kickstarter by April 4, 2013 to reserve your own unit.
Like many of us, animator Kenna W. read about the Dad who hacked Donkey Kong so his daughter could play as Pauline and save Mario. The story reminded Kenna of how, as a kid, she was bummed out that she never got to play as Zelda in The Legend of Zelda. So she made her own wish come true.
Kenna made a custom patch that makes Zelda the hero of The Legend of Zelda. She then used that patch to edit a ROM of the game. Kenna used a sprite editor called Tile Layer Pro to animate and replace Link’s sprites with the Hylian princess’ sprites. Her boyfriend wrote a Python script that allowed her to change the color of Zelda’s dress as well as edit the text on the game’s opening and closing scrolls.
Finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for. Are you ready Zelda fans? Here it is, Kenna playing as Zelda!
This reminds me of the dad who hacked the text in Wind Waker for his daughter. Head to Kenna’s blog to find out more about her patch and how you can experience playing as Zelda as well.
[Kenna Draws Stuff via Kotaku]
YouTuber Hknssn may be missing a few vowels, but that hasn’t kept him from being awesome. He was able to make a LEGO machine that can automatically take a sheet of paper, fold it into a paper plane and then launch it on its own. In other words, Hknssn made a toy that makes its own toys.
The machine is about 59″ long and 16″ wide. As you might have guessed, Hknssn relies heavily on LEGO Mindstorms NXT parts to make the machine work, including two NXT Intelligent Brains, five NXT servo motors, four NXT color sensors and an NXT accelerometer. It also uses five Power Function XL motors and between 6,000 to 7,000 LEGO pieces. Check it out in action in the video below, which Hknssn hiked up to about three times the normal speed.
Hknssn shared the parts list of the machine on YouTube and a shot of its 3D model on ImageShack, but it seems he didn’t make a guide for building one. He’s probably working on a LEGO machine that can do that for him.
[via BuzzFeed]
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
