Crack open your dumb old phone, and you’ll find lots of circuits and no lack of precious metals. "In 100,000 cell phones, it’s estimated that there is 2.4 kilograms of gold, more than 900 kilograms of copper, 25 kilograms of silver, and more," according to Motherboard. Could a safer and and cheaper method of recovering that metal come by way of fungi?
Wires are some of the most basic components of the modern world, which practically guarantees that most of us take them for granted. But as English Russia so kindly shows us, the process behind our messy heaps of wiring is anything but ordinary.
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You will never be far from your work with this unique desk. It will be very handy if you have a home with more than one story, since it will also give you some stairs while saving space in your home.
Designer Just Haasnoot commissioned Dutch design studio Mieke Meijer to create a staircase that combines the functionality of stairs, shelves, a desk and a cupboard – all in one unit. Viewed from above, it looks like a regular set of stairs.
I would advise the owner of this not to move the desk while someone is still upstairs. Not unless they want to see them take a fall. Nevertheless, it is a great design.
[via dezeen via Homes & Hues]
The only thing cooler than using a huge robot arm to sculpt? Using a huge robot arm to sculpt with liquid hot metal. Joris Laarman Studio‘s prototype software instructs a robotic arm to recreate 3D models in midair, using molten metals of all kinds. It looks as cool as it sounds.
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I’m not sure what it is about seeing a giant piece of metal being swallowed by another giant piece of metal but it’s almost therapeutic. It’s like seeing insect fights on YouTube but on a more gargantuan, real life Transformers level. Whatever it is, I can’t get enough. Here’s the Hammel Red Giant Car Shredder having its way with a little car. I keep hoping that the little green car can get away but it never does. Sad. But so much weird fun to see.
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The Trusco is like a well-organized penthouse for your everyday items. Made of stamped steel and finished with blue enamel, this Japanese design elevates the humble tool chest to an object of beauty.
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In highschool, I took it upon myself to learn how to enjoy scream-y music. It started innocently(?) enough with slightly-abrasive-but-still-pretty-tame Linkin Park, and moved on to Refused and Underoath, and somehow, Cap’n Jazz
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Do you think you are a badass at chess? No, you are not. Not until you play the game the way it was played in medieval times: using a chainmaille chess set while wearing a suit of armor. Well, I’m just guessing that was the way they played the game. This way if your opponent was a sore loser, you were protected from his sword or axe.
This cool set was made by David Gutenkauf, a craftsman who specializes in the creation of chainmaille. He crafted this set from woven steel and bronze. The board is about 12″ square and it weighs in at a hefty three pounds. Each piece is wrapped around a glass marble for stability, and the kings about two inches-tall.
It’s a nice looking set to take to the Renaissance fair with you. You’ll be king of nerd mountain for the day. It’s going for $750(USD) over on Etsy.
[via Nerd Bastards via Neatorama]
Wires or rods are integral parts of many structures or products. While we’ve seen early versions of 3D printers that can work with metals, many times all that a tinkerer or an artist needs is a way to bend existing wire to his will. That’s where Pensa Labs’ DIWire comes in. It’s a machine that bends wires based on curves drawn in a computer.
DIWire’s complementary software accepts SVG images of continuous curves. The machine itself connects to your computer via USB and can typically finish bending a piece of wire in minutes. DIWire can bend wires between .040″ – .125″ in diameter, depending on the wire’s composition. It can bend steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass and more. To help users put their bent wires together, Pensa Labs also came up with a series of plastic clips that can be used to hold wires together without having to permanently solder or weld them outright.
Pledge at least $2,950 (USD) on Kickstarter to receive a DIWire as a reward.
[via Core77]
I’m a big fan of the whole 3D printing phenomenon, and really excited about the rapid development and growth of the technology. While most 3D printers work on the same principal – a moving print head that melts plastic – the Vader printer will be able to print using metal.
Scott and Zackery Vader (yes, that’s their actual last name) have developed the Vader – a liquid metal based 3D printer. This printer actually prints directly with molten metal, similarly to 3D printers that output plastic. Its thermal chamber melts down aluminum, then extrudes the hot metal onto a moving, magnetized printing bed. One interesting differentiator is that the Vaders say they’ll be able to build a version with a multi-nozzle print head, similar to those which work on ink jet printers. This could substantially decrease print times.
There are print methods that can use metal today, but most of them involve printing a wax mold, then pouring molten metal into the cast. There are also laser sintering techniques which fuse metal powder into a shape. As far as I know, the Vader is the first 3D printer to print directly with molten aluminum. This method allows for 100% metal density, as well as parts with hollow areas inside.
At this point, the team has an early prototype, which has all of the components – except the all-critical print head, but they say they’re confident in their invention. They intend on completing R&D of the liquid metal jet process and a working prototype by the end of the year. After this, they expect to produce a small business version, priced “between $10,000 and $50,000″ and down the road they hope to release a prosumer grade Vader printer for under $10,000.
[via Tom’s Guide and Inhabitat]
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