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February 6, 2008
"Luke" arm
Here's an incredible video from IEEE Spectrum on the new robotic arm Dean Kamen's DEKKA group is working on, it's inspired by robotic arm in Star Wars that Luke Skywalker had - Link.
Related:
Dean Kamen's "Luke Arm" prosthesis readies for clinical trials - Link.
From the pages of MAKE:
- Dean Kamen: The Dean of Engineering - Link.
- Volume 04 - Maker: Dean Kamen (Page 32) - Link.
- More from Dean Kamen - Link.
- MAKE Volume 04: Music and Kits for the Holidays. Cool holiday kit reviews, build a cigar box guitar, circuit bending, high-speed flash photography, coffee hacks, and lots of DIY music projects. Link & Get it at the Maker Store.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 6, 2008 07:00 AM
News from the Future, Robotics, Science |
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February 1, 2008
An open source synthetic biology toolkit
I'm not near a good connection to grab this, but once I am it's impossible to resist...DIY information on building genetically engineered organisms in your own home, such as schematics for building your own oligonucleotide machine and DNA PCR techniques, cloning methods, etc. (torrented). Bryan writes -
The open biohacking kit project contains information on important protocols in genetic engineering, stem cell research, microbiology and other fields of related interest. Additionally, the archive file -- ready for immediate distribution and diffusion -- contains numerous articles and designs for cheap DIY hardware such as incubators, centrifuges, oligonucleotide machines, microarray chip schematics, and so on. An integral part of the entire package is a cached copy of the BioBrick Foundation and synbio websites, such as OpenWetWare and the Parts Registry -- some may know about these groups from the International Genetically Engineered Machine competitions. Short introductory files are also being included regarding methods of artificial gene synthesis, using online bioinformatics databases, transfections, running ecoli farms, synthetic biology (synbio), ES cell harvesting procedures, quick "where to buy" guides, and one-page documents introducing newbies into the arts.An open source synthetic biology toolkit - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 1, 2008 03:45 PM
DIY Projects, News from the Future, Science |
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January 31, 2008
6 legged boat
This is pretty neat, the boat has 6 legs and can "stand up" and can plant a windmill in place -
Most boats do not have legs. But a jack-up barge has six, protruding high into the air when the ship is in transit.6 legged boat - Link.Extending to a length of 48m from the bottom of the ship, and penetrating up to 5m into the sea bed, the "legs" of these ships provide a stable "ground" in a place where there is only roiling water.
As the legs push down, the ship is lifted above the waves. Purpose-built at a Chinese shipyard, the £60m jack-up barge MPIO Resolution is an extraordinary piece of engineering in itself.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 31, 2008 07:00 AM
News from the Future, Transportation |
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January 21, 2008
Pens are utensils
Coming to a cubicle near you, utensil pens - part of the "Dining in 2015" contest... [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 21, 2008 03:00 PM
Arts, News from the Future |
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January 18, 2008
Contact lenses with circuits
Wow, superhuman vision, maybe -
Movie characters from the Terminator to the Bionic Woman use bionic eyes to zoom in on far-off scenes, have useful facts pop into their field of view, or create virtual crosshairs. Off the screen, virtual displays have been proposed for more practical purposes -- visual aids to help vision-impaired people, holographic driving control panels and even as a way to surf the Web on the go.Contact lenses with circuits - Link.The device to make this happen may be familiar. Engineers at the University of Washington have for the first time used manufacturing techniques at microscopic scales to combine a flexible, biologically safe contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 18, 2008 01:00 AM
News from the Future |
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January 17, 2008
Sci-Fi objects and more made with a Spectrum Z510 3D printer (photo gallery)
RoboGeek sent in this great set of photos of Spectrum Z510 3D printer objects he made.
First, I love Make! I saw your Christmas wish (a Spectrum Z510 3D printer) and smiled. I had the job/privilege to work with one of these at a previous job. I am an AutoCad and MicroStation drafter and the company used it to rapid prototype parts for bath accessories. I named or Z510 "Gwyneth" because, like Ms. Paltrow, the results of her work were visually stunning, but she's kind of high maintenance. :-D I don't suppose I have to tell you about the costs of the materials, but I will say that I felt, after using and cleaning one for 2 years, that there was some room for design improvements in the areas of maintenance and overall robustness of the device. Please don't get me wrong - if I win the lottery tomorrow, I'm buying one of these right away!Read full storyWhenever we had to reset the system or replace the print heads, we would run a test file through. My boss at the time, a science fiction fan like me and a general all around cool guy, let me run some .stl files of my own as tests.
One of the objects is a "metatron" by Bathsheba Grossman. The red polyhedral sphere is the work of George Hart (http://www.georgehart.com/rp/rp.html) and is actually 7(!) nesting spheres, I assigned a different color to each one. I hope one day to print that one out of plastic. When you take an object out of the "build tray", you place it in a dust cabinet and blow off ant excess powder with a needle tipped airbrush. Then you CAREFULLY "infiltrate" it with cyanoacrylate. I did this by dipping one of those little red coffee stirrers you find in office kitchenettes, and applying it one drop at a time. Having a touch of OCD helps this procedure. ;-) We used Loctite 408, as it was less expensive than buying replacements from ZCorp. MicroMark sells little paint/glue brushes that are small plastic handles with fuzzy flocking on one end. The Serenity is from a poly mesh sent to me by Sean Kennedy, aka Treybor in the 3d computer modeling community. I don't recall where I got the Hawk Mark IX mesh from. The Z510 can print from vrml models. None of these are painted; the Z510 prints in color. Good joke: the software comes with a jpg of the IniTech (Office Space) logo! Note the logo on the command cabin of the Hawk Mark IX. The Lego gears I designed in AutoCad 2002. The yellow one is a replica of a 40-tooth Lego Technic gear, the largest they make. The others are 56 & 96-tooth, I designed for use as parts in an all-Lego clock.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 17, 2008 06:00 AM
Arts, Gadgets, News from the Future |
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January 16, 2008
Kiosk - Sci-Fi tale of 3D printing, fabbing and more
Bruce Sterling's "Kiosk" is a tale ripped right out of the future. 3D printing, carbon nano-tubes and more... -
THE FABRIKATOR WAS UGLY, noisy, a fire hazard, and it smelled. Borislav got it for the kids in the neighborhood. One snowy morning, in his work gloves, long coat, and fur hat, he loudly power-sawed through the wall of his kiosk. He duct-taped and stapled the fabrikator into place. The neighborhood kids caught on instantly. His new venture was a big hit. The fabrikator made little plastic toys from 3-D computer models. After a week, the fab's dirt-cheap toys literally turned into dirt. The fabbed toys just crumbled away, into a waxy, non-toxic substance that the smaller kids tended to chew. Borislav had naturally figured that the brief lifetime of these toys might discourage the kids from buying them. This just wasn't so. This wasn't a bug: this was a feature. Every day after school, an eager gang of kids clustered around Borislav's green kiosk. They slapped down their tinny pocket change with mittened hands. Then they exulted, quarreled, and sometimes even punched each other over the shining fab-cards. The happy kid would stick the fab-card (adorned with some glossily fraudulent pic of the toy) into the fabrikator's slot. After a hot, deeply exciting moment of hissing, spraying, and stinking, the fab would burp up a freshly minted dinosaur, baby doll, or toy fireman.Kiosk - Sci-Fi tale of 3D printing, fabbing and more - [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 16, 2008 01:00 AM
News from the Future |
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January 15, 2008
Superconducting Maglev train models
Great video on IFW-Dresden's superconducting magnetic levitation (Maglev) train models - [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 15, 2008 11:00 AM
News from the Future, Science |
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CCD ring - Jewelronics
We're rapidly approaching a time where some of the best electronics will ultimately make the best jewelry. Here's a CCD from a Canon camera mounted in a ring. De Beers will be opening a booth in Best Buy any day now, you heard it here first - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 15, 2008 03:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, News from the Future |
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January 14, 2008
RFID + induction + cooking
Jeff writes in -
This CookTek "Incogneeto" cook top was displayed at NAFM in late 2007. It's capable of heating to 190 deg F through any sort of counter top (granite, composite etc) without causing damage to the counter itself. Because of RFID technology, These units also do not require special markings to determine where the cook top is under the counter. There isn't much information available on the internet at the moment, the product has only been available to purchase for about a week.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 14, 2008 01:00 PM
News from the Future |
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| Comments (5)
January 10, 2008
Smarter clothing care labels
Clever idea - RFID tags to tell a washer/dryer how to wash clothes - [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 10, 2008 03:00 AM
News from the Future, Wireless |
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| Comments (2)
January 7, 2008
Programming DNA (video) - A 2-bit language for engineering biology
Here's a video from the AMAZING session "Programming DNA" @ the 24th Chaos Communication Congress -
A 2-bit language for engineering biology. Biological engineering does not have to be confined to the laboratories of high-end industry laboratories. Rather, it is desirable to foster a more open culture of biological technology. This talk is an effort to do so; it aims to equip you with basic practical knowledge of biological engineering.24C3 - Programming DNA - #2329 - [via] Link.Genetic engineering is now a thirty year old technology. For reference, over a similar period of time, modern computing machines went from exclusive objects used to design weapons of mass destruction, to the now ubiquitous panoply of personal computing devices that support mass communication and construction. Inspired by this and many other past examples of the overwhelmingly constructive uses of technology by individuals, we have been working over the past five years to develop new tools that will help to make biology easy to engineer. We have also been working to foster a constructive culture of future biological technologists, who can reliably and responsibly conceive, develop, and deliver biological technologies that solve local problems.
This talk will introduce current best practice in biological engineering, including an overview of how to order synthetic DNA and how to use and contribute standard biological parts to an open source collection of genetic functions. The talk will also discuss issues of human practice, including biological safety, biological security, ownership, sharing, and innovation in biotechnology, community organization, and perception across many different publics. My hope is that the conferees of 24C3 will help me to understand how to best enable an overwhelmingly constructive hacker culture for programming DNA.
Related:
Perkin Elmer PRISM 7700 Gene/DNA Sequence/Sequencer PCR (eBay) - Link.
More:
Additional talks from the CCC - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 7, 2008 09:00 AM
DIY Projects, News from the Future, Science |
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December 20, 2007
Umbra concept store - 3D printing
Alex writes -
My name is Alex and I've been following MAKE for the past year now and have really enjoyed everything the magazine and website have to offer. Today when my fiance and I were out running some errands in downtown Toronto we wandered into the Umbra Concept Store and after looking around for a few minutes I got really excited when I saw that they had a rapid prototyping machine right there in the store. I asked about it and it turns out that they have the Umbra designers come into the store to work on their designs while allowing customers to ask them questions. On the desk next to the machine there were a few samples that they had made with the printer. Unfortunately I only had time to snap a quick photo with my phone which I have attached. I thought you might find this interesting.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Dec 20, 2007 05:00 AM
News from the Future |
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December 10, 2007
LeadCheck - lead check for toys kit
If you're giving toys to kids over the holidays you might want to consider getting this LeadCheck kit, one quick swap and you'll know if you'll see that toy on the recall list later - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Dec 10, 2007 03:00 AM
Kits, News from the Future, Toys and Games |
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December 6, 2007
Violin-playing robot
I remember when it was all about which robot could run or ride a bicycle, now it's which one can play the violin... -
Toyota Motor Corp.'s new violin robot performs during a press unveiling in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007. Compared to a virtuoso, its rendition was a trifle stilted and, well, robotic. But Toyota's new robot plays a pretty solid "Pomp and Circumstance" on the violin. The 152-centimeter (five-foot)-tall all-white robot used its mechanical fingers to push the strings correctly and bowed with its other arm, coordinating the movements well.Violin-playing robot - [via] Link.
Related:
Murata boy - bicycle riding robot - Link.
QRIO and AIBO, the memories (huge photo gallery) - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Dec 6, 2007 09:00 AM
Music, News from the Future, Robotics |
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November 7, 2007
Chefs as chemists
New York Times on "Food 2.0" (image Tony Cenicola/The New York Times) ... -
In September, talking to an audience of chefs from around the world, Wylie Dufresne of WD-50 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan waxed enthusiastic about a type of ingredient he has been adding to his restaurant's dishes.Chefs as Chemists - New York Times - [via] Link.Not organic Waygu beef or newfound exotic spices or eye of newt and toe of frog, but hydrocolloid gums -- obscure starches and proteins usually relegated to the lower reaches of ingredient labels on products like Twinkies. These substances are helping Mr. Dufresne make eye-opening (and critically acclaimed) creations like fried mayonnaise and a foie gras that can be tied into a knot.
Chefs are using science not only to better understand their cooking, but also to create new ways of cooking. Elsewhere, chefs have played with lasers and liquid nitrogen.
All I have to say is laser'ed food tastes better...
Related:
HOW TO - Make a Dale burrito - Link.
Laser etch sushi nori - Link.
Laser etched matza - Link.
HOW TO - Laser cut (and cook) meat - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Nov 7, 2007 04:00 AM
Crafts, News from the Future |
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| Comments (1)
November 6, 2007
Face recognition for cigarette machines
If you look old enough you too can light up and smoke (in Japan) - [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Nov 6, 2007 09:00 AM
News from the Future |
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October 15, 2007
Follow up - Ponoko test drive, 2D drawing to physical item - making it real
Ok, remember the iPhone stand I designed and published off to Ponoko? Well, they cut the parts and they arrived today. So, my review is complete - the service works!
Related:
MAKE: Blog: Ponoko - laser cut item biz - Link.
MAKE: Blog: Ponoko test drive, 2D drawing to physical item ... - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Oct 15, 2007 12:00 PM
DIY Projects, News from the Future |
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| Comments (4)
Third-world wind power
Clever, here's a video of non-turbine wind power generators from Shawn Frayne... Link & more.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Oct 15, 2007 02:00 AM
Green, News from the Future |
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| Comments (12)
October 3, 2007
Boing Boing launches "TV" program
Not exactly in the MAKE: Blog wheelhouse, but we want to take a moment to give a hearty shout-out to our pals over at Boing Boing. It's been a big couple of weeks for them. First they launched the main site redesign and the new (and most awesome, IMNERHO) Boing Boing Gadgets. Now they've launched Boing Boing TV, 25 minutes a week (five minute segments every weekday) of Boing Boing "Talkies." It'll be co-hosted by Mark Frauenfelder (also MAKE's Editor-in-Chief) and Xeni Jardin. Fellow BB editors Cory, David, and Joel will also chime in. The first episode includes visions of the future in turn of the century French lithographs and a robot playing Patsy Kline's "Crazy" on a theramin. What's not to love?
Congrats guys. And good luck in the videodrome.
Boing Boing TV - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Oct 3, 2007 08:00 PM
News from the Future |
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