3D Alternative to Glasses

Johnathan Post has a very impressive new method for seeing 3D content on video screens without shutter glasses. While there are some obvious reasons why this particular method isn’t going to catch on, I really am vastly impressed with his ingenuity.

Thermochromic Pigment

I’ve been wondering ever since the Hypercolor days why no one sells a house paint that changes from black to white as it gets warm. The same goes for shingles, jackets, etc. I can only assume that the costs of production must still outweigh their value as an active thermal insulation, but now that I see this, I’m tempted to at least make myself a jacket. In the video below, there is a tutorial on how to make fabric that quickly changes from black to white as it gets hot.

(via Badass Nerd)

Billiard Bowling

“Knockers” is what Steve Wienecke calls his game. Somehow I don’t think that’s gonna stick, but the game just might. He’s scaled up a pool table enough to play it with bowling balls. I’d love to give this a shot. It looks like more fun than regular bowling. Just don’t try to build one of these in your garage unless you like holes in your walls.

(via neatorama)

Hologram Maker

ZebraImaging is by far the best hologram maker I’ve seen. Their ZScape™ holograms are huge, hi resolution, color, have a strong 3D effect, and are almost perfectly smooth in motion. These things compare to the bird on your credit card like an Etch-a-Sketch does to an I-Max. Check out the video below, it’s pretty stunning.

Zebra Imaging sells their pulse laser hologram printers, as well as selling and making hologram prints. Their pricing isn’t bad either, considering the quality and size. Most people could afford a print if they made it a priority in their life. Hopefully the price will come down further soon.

Liquid Antenna

This antenna being developed by SPAWAR Systems uses a jet of seawater as its conductor. It can both recieve and transmit, and by adjusting the length of the jet, they can better tune in a specific wavelength.

Don’t expect to have one of these on your cellphone any time soon, but it seems like it would have a lot of potential for sensors floating out at sea.

Automatic Plant Waterer

The Groasis Waterboxx was the grand award winner in Popular Science’s 2010 top 100 innovations list. The base has a water reservoir which you fill once or very rarely. Any rainfall or morning dew runs down the top of the lid to water the plant, and the condensation from the reservoir collects on the underside of the lid and serves to water the plant in dry times.

At $275 for 10, it seems a bit pricey for it’s intended use in poor, arid nations, especially considering you could likely make a passable version of these out of old tires and trash can lids, but I see no reason it has to be an eyesore.  I can see a nicer version of this having use in parking lot plantings in semi-arid cities like Los Angeles, or for newly planted trees along highways.

Worlds Smallest Dustpan?

Proving once again that the Post-It Note is one of man’s most versatile inventions. (via thereifixedit)

Great Soap Design

Frugal Soap, designed by Ji Woong Kim. An elegant and well thought out design. The shape of the soap perfectly matches that of the dish, so that it doesn’t end up sitting in a pool of water, and keeps its form. The concavity of the top is printed with the instruction to fit your last piece of the previous bar into the top to prevent waste. It’s not the first time a soap has used these concepts, but it is all brought together with an elegance and simplicity of design that should have regular old bar soap designers hanging their heads in shame.

Fanwing – A New Kind of Aircraft

How many different methods of achieving flight do we have? Airplanes, jets, helicopters, blimps, gliders, and nature has flapping wings…thats about all I can think of. This guy seems to have come up with a new one. The FanWing puts the propulsion on the wing, spreading it across the surface in such a way that it provides lift directly, rather than relying on the speed of the aircraft to create the air flow for lift. as in conventional winged aircraft. The bonus of this is that you end up with a much more stable aircraft with the ability to fly at much slower airspeeds. That may not be good for long distance air travel, but for things like crop dusting, news coverage, or even flying cars, the ability to go at a reasonable speed with high stability is a big bonus.

Kinetic Sculpture Race 2010

We hit the streets, roofs, and piers of Humboldt County, California For their annual Kinetic Sculpture Race. This is the original home of these races, but there are now nearly a dozen around the country, and many of these contraptions will also be seen in the Corvallis race and at Burning Man.

Despite the increased number of races, there has been a decrease in the quantity of the more impressive and original machines, owing mostly to the loss of Calistoga and Yakima as sponsors. In recent years, Duane Flatmo has been almost carrying the race, with his fire breathing dragon from last year being the best I’ve seen.  There are still a good number of smaller entries as well, which are what keeps the race unpredictable and full of personality, as well as some returning favorites.

Duane Flatmo’s entry this year was an aluminum lobster made of recycled parts and complete with pinchy claws and working jaws and tail, done in the same style as his previous Kinetic Carp and dragon. He was sponsored by FoxFarm.

Mad River Brewing Company sponsored this train. Just look at this guy racing a beer train through the streets of Arcata, he couldn’t be happier.

By far the most daring entry of the year has to go to this float, entitled Classical Nudes. Its drivers were dressed in nude suits and created quite a stir. They were pursued by a pit crew filled with some very stern looking nuns in mini skirts and roller skates. The statue on top was hinged, and could be easily secured for the tougher parts of the race.

There is one float that has been in the races in recent years that pretty much just gets a new name and paint job each time, but I’m always glad to see it. It has won numerous awards and seems to me to have the best engineering for the various trials of these races, taking to the water like a duck. Why mess with perfection? This year it was going under the name A Black Tie Affair.

I don’t know the story on this one, so I’m going to say it was inspired by something someone saw in a vision after eating some bad sushi.  It would seem to be a giraffe from outer space with ruby slippers.

Guy racing a camel. The legs were attached to his pedals. I think he was associated with a group riding a flying carpet.

This is one of those events that brings all sorts of people together. I thought this was a great picture of the spectators around the judges. Worthy of a caption contest.

For more on these races, crossing the sand dunes, and some video see my post on Kinetic Sculpture Race 2009.

« Previous Page — Next Page »