Tag Archives: Design

Man Creates Marble Dropper With 1 Millisecond Accuracy

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Creating marble machines that produce music when the balls hit objects, Martin Molin of the band Wintergatan (which I’m pretty sure is just him and his machine) knows precision ball-dropping is of utmost importance. So he developed this ball gate that can release his musical marbles with a standard timing deviation of just 1.46 milliseconds. That’s 1.46 thousandths of a second, or, in layman’s time, pretty damn accurate.

In the video, Martin demonstrates what 1.46 milliseconds sounds like to the naked ear, then delayed 10, 20, and 50ms until you can actually detect a noticeable difference. So yeah, it’s safe to say the machine drops those balls when it’s supposed to. Below is a video of the sort of insane machine Martin needs, such a precision marble-dropping gate to power.

Hey, everybody needs a hobby. And if your hobby happens to make beautiful music, all the better. But if your hobby happens to make a bunch of deafening noise in the garage and start the occasional fire, well, welcome to my life. My wife says I should take up reading or painting instead of trying to build a rocket.

[via hackaday]

Playstation 5 Controller Alarm Clock: Wake Up to Game

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Filed under products I never knew existed and would probably be fine if that were still the case, Firebox is selling an officially licensed Playstation 5 Alarm Clock, which looks like a PS5 controller atop a charging dock. It’s not a functional controller, though, just a functional alarm clock. Do people still use those things? I just assumed everybody used their phones.

Previously seen in a PS4 version, the USB-powered clock features a backlit LED display, and the D-pad and controller buttons are used to set the alarm. That’s cool, but what’s the alarm sound like? I feel like that’s one of the most important features of any alarm clock, but they never include that information in the product description. Is it a blaring BEEP BEEP BEEP that’ll make me wish I were dead, or the Playstation startup sound that’s too calming to even wake me up? My guess is the former.

Admittedly, you’d have to be one heck of a Playstation fan to buy a PS5 controller alarm clock. I mean, I’m ranked #2,344 in the entire world, and even I would have a hard time putting this by the side of the bed, and that’s not even taking into consideration my wife’s strong opinions!

Human Spine Lamp: A Gothic De-Light

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Because why limit skeletons to just your closet, macabre Etsy shop the blackened teeth (mine are just yellowed) is selling the Spine Lamp, a 60cm (~24″) table lamp made with a realistic human spine. Perhaps a little TOO realistic. Are we sure that’s resin and not bone? Where are those CSI agents when you need them?

The spines are available in black and white and with three different lampshade options, my favorite of which has to be the black with copper inner lining. That’s a good-looking lampshade. I can already imagine myself dancing on the couch with that on my head. Wait – where’s everybody going? This party’s just getting started!

Now I know what you’re thinking, and I have the exact same problem – my significant other doesn’t have the same fine taste in interior design that I do. So how do you buy a $160 spine lamp without upsetting them? No, I’m seriously asking because I really want one.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Biodegradable, Single-Use Circuit Boards Printed on Paper

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Because most computing technology is notoriously earth-unfriendly with its inability to be reused or recycled, researchers at the State University of New York at Binghamton have developed circuit boards printed on paper that can be safely disposed of after a single use, either by burning or naturally biodegrading. Me? I love burning things. Just not my hand on the stove like I did this morning making oatmeal.

The paper is first printed with wax to create channels, then heated, so the wax melts, permeating the paper. Next, conductive metal is screen-printed onto the board, followed by the application of conductive and semi-conductive inks and an electrolyte gel to create the board’s resistors, capacitors, transistors, and wiring. The final result? A functional paper circuit board that could be eaten in the event you’re captured by the enemy.

Do you think this is the technology they use in Mission Impossible for those self-destructing messages? I sure hope so because otherwise, those agents were inhaling a lot of harmful chemicals if they didn’t vacate the area within five seconds. Like their missions weren’t already risky enough!

[via YankoDesign]

Man Builds Dream Desk from Circuit Boards Encased In Resin

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Because with enough liquid resin, anything is possible, YouTuber buildxyz constructed his dream standing desk by encasing printed circuit boards (PCBs) in clear plastic. What a beauty. As I’m sure Indiana Jones would agree, it belongs in a museum. Presumably, right alongside a bunch of old statues with missing arms.

In addition to some very beautiful woodworking, the desk includes adjustable mood lighting, a wireless charging station, cable management solutions, an under-desk computer mount, and, perhaps most importantly, a built-in coaster. I mean, you have to set your drink somewhere, and better on a coaster than in your lap – that’s my motto.

Now that’s a nice desk. Way nicer than my standing desk, which, yes, is a closet door lying across two piles of boxes. I originally built it to see if I’d like a standing desk enough to justify purchasing one, but I loved the price of this one so much that I never got around to buying another one. Sure it slants to one side, and the doorknob always gets in the way when I’m typing, but it was free. Besides, the guest bedroom doesn’t really need a closet door anyways.

[via HackADay]

3D Printed Dragon Feet TV Stand: For Your Own House of the Dragon

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Because dinosaur feet make everything better (googly eyes, too, but this isn’t about them), Thingiverse user melgrubb created 3D-printed dino feet to support a flatscreen television. That’s cool, but he should have also printed little t-rex arms hugging the television from the sides.

According to Mel, he recently moved a wall-hanging television from one room to another, where it was to become a terrestrial model, but he couldn’t find the original feet (story of my life). His wife suggested 3D printing feet, and when he asked what they should look like, she said dragon feet. The rest is television history.

Of course, the odds of these feet being an exact fit for your television model are low, but they can be scaled up or down in different dimensions to make them fit your television’s bolts. Per Mel: “I printed them in a lovely marble filament, and my wife painted the nails with the ‘sluttiest’ red nail polish she could find at the dollar store. Now, this TV makes us smile even when it’s not turned on.” Haha, that TV makes me smile even when it’s not turned on, and it’s not my TV, and I’m just looking at a picture of it! Now that’s quality.

[via adafruit]

Star Trek TNG Computer Interface Dinnerware Set: Eating, Engage!

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Because you can never have too much Star Trek around the house, Corrigan Studio created this Star Trek: The Next Generation LCARS 16-Piece Dinnerware Set, available on Wayfair. For those of you unfamiliar, LCARS (Library Computer Access/Retrieval System) is the computer operating system seen in the show. And now you can see it on your dinner table! And some people say dreams don’t come true.

Obviously, if you aren’t going to use these place settings to throw an extravagant dinner party where everybody dresses up as their favorite Star Trek character and talks about Klingons and Borgs all evening, you’re doing it wrong. You’re also doing it wrong if you don’t eat bowl after bowl of sugary cereal out of one of those square bowls every Saturday morning. Trust me; I’m a life coach.

Sure, you could live your life without Star Trek dinnerware, but why would you? I mean, it’s right here for the buying — why risk living an unfulfilled life when you can just write in and immediately cross off ‘Own Star Trek dinnerware’ from your bucket list? At least that’s what I tried to justify to my wife when I bought it. She’s…not thrilled.

This Robotic Spider Lamp Is Ready to Weave Its Web of Light

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Presumably inspired by my nightmares, the Mecrob Spider Table Lamp is a metal robot spider that comes in kit form. The spider features an abdomen full of fairy lights and four spotlight-style eye lights for illuminating whatever mad scientist project you’re currently working on.

The spider is powered via USB and features a 4-way dimmable switch, providing just enough light to create the ambiance you’re looking for. I can’t say a creepy robot spider lamp really fits my current interior design scheme, but if I ever turn my basement into an evil robotics lab, I now know where to find the perfect lamp for my desk.

Being a kit, you do have to build the posable spider yourself, which is constructed entirely from relatively common machine parts and requires no special tools. It does require you to be able to follow directions, though, something the IKEA couch I recently assembled reminded me I’m not very good at. Where do all these extra parts even go? And why’s it leaning so far backward?

Google Japan Makes 5-Foot Long Keyboard with All Its Keys in a Single Row

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Because when it comes to computing, there’s always room for unimprovement, Google Japan has created a 5.4-foot long keyboard with all the keys in a single row. Presumably inspired by the dancing piano keyboard scene from Big, its creators say the keyboard prevents having to look in every direction for the key you need since it can only be left or right and not up or down. Of course, you may still need a yardstick to reach it.

I learned how to touch type in high school, and it’s hands-down been one of the most useful skills I ever learned. As a matter of fact, it may be the only useful skill I learned in high school. I mean, besides, how to entertain myself in detention. Now I’m never bored.

I don’t think Google is actually going to produce the keyboard for sale, presumably because it’s a ridiculously bad idea. You need any more bad ideas, Google? Hire me; I’m full of them. Here’s a freebie: a 12-pound computer mouse that can only be moved incrementally for extreme precision.

[via PCMag]

Auto-Tracking Desk Lamp: Luxo Jr., is That You?

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Because who can be bothered to manually adjust their desk lamp (what are we, peasants?), the Werobot Pino Lamp on Kickstarter is an intelligent robotic auto-tracking lamp that can follow book pages, your face, or certain colors to ensure they’re always well illuminated. The future, ladies and gentlemen, this is it! Forget flying cars; we’ve got book-tracking desk lamps.

The lamp has 160 degrees of object tracking movement and can auto-adjust its beam color and brightness based on its artificial intelligence or your pre-set preferences. Its base serves as a wireless charging pad. It also has an optional breathing effect so that the lamp can offer a level of emotional companionship. Granted, not a very high level of emotional companionship, but every little bit counts when you’re lonely.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/450423506/werobot-pino-lamp-intelligent-robot-auto-tracking-lamp

For those uninterested in all the AI bells and whistles, the lamp’s features can also be fully adjusted via its smartphone app; that way, you can set it up just the way you want to without it moving or adjusting its light on its own. You know, kind of like a regular lamp. I just bought one of these for every room of the house, including the garage and laundry room.