The Arduino makes a fierce return, this time in the form of a hat. Using flex sensors and a hat-mounted Arduino, Instructables user RonanOD created a game of Pong where you use your eyebrows for play. The hat senses how much pressure is being created along the brim and uses the related data as input in the game. Instructions are available, but I can’t promise it’ll be fun twitching your eyebrows like Mr. Bean all day long.
Using some scrap wood he had lying around, Seamster set forth and built his very own pinball table. Complete with working paddles, it uses an old mouse tracking ball and has plenty of ramps and other bonuses, just like the arcade version of the game. It’s not an easy build but there’s an Instructable available should you have the courage to try to build your own.
The only thing missing are the bright lights and ability to tilt the machine.
Dads. I’ve got some news for you. This weekend, instead of watching your TiVo’d NHL playoff games, you’re going to be making this toy car launcher for your kid. DotaDabbled’s Instructable provides precise details on how you can create one using some wood, plastic and other miscellaneous doo-dads (pardon the pun) lying around the house.
No, no. Not the kind your ex-girlfriend gave you. Sheesh.
The kind with the blue legs that taste delicious and melt in your mouth? Try again.
Half-Life? No, no. That’s a headcrab.
Guys and gals, I’m talking about the soda can crab. Look at this cute little bugger. Don’t you want to take him home and let him collect dust on your work desk? Aww! Nah, I kid. Instructables user Chaitanyak was kind enough to post a full tutorial on how to turn a soda can into a metal crab. It’s an easy, quick and, more importantly, fun activity that you and your kids can do on a rainy day. See? Gearfuse cares about crabs.
For our readers who hunt wild game or just live in an area with cool shit they’d like to capture, listen up. Instructables user Crispyjones has posted full details on how to make your own net-launching gun, just like the kind Batman used. It’s comprised of PVC pipe and uses pressurized air to launch the net at around 90 PSI. Judging by the animated GIF provided by Crispyjones, I’d say this is a mod worth anyone’s time.
This is a perfect HOW TO for those of you teaching in a classroom or working on multiple projects at home. It was made by a father and son duo who threw the directions up on Instructables. It only costs around $65 to make, including the glass. DIYers and project managers alike simply cannot pass this up.
You’ve probably been looking for that first-party Rock Band stage kit for your Wednesday night parties. I’m here to tell you not to bother with that overpriced junk. Instructables member Marc92 shows you how to make your own fog machine and light show that’s perfect for real and fake bands alike.
However, unlike your typical fog machines which spit out fog from a single point, Marc92 has built a pipe system that emits fog from a much larger area. Mounted on the pipe are red and blue LEDs which gives the fog its patriotic appearance. Gwar would be pleased.
Check out these cool Halloween-themed “Finder” icon pillows created by Etsy user THROWBOY, one of which claims the same name as the old orange Macs. The vampire? That’s “Count Macula.” The ghost, that’s the “Spooker.” The Frankenstein, that’s the “Finderstein.” As for the pumpkin, it’s called the “Mac-O-Lantern.”
Sound familiar? Of course it does. Instructables already gave you the know how to make your own orange Mac. How many different Mac-O-Lanterns are we going to see this season? The Halloween Mac pillows are yours for $39 a pillow. If you’ve got an old Mac collecting dust, why not save yourself some money and turn that into your Mac-O-Lantern this year.
Found on Instructables, this upside-down bookshelf is a great party gag for your apartment or home. It actually works as a fully-functional bookshelf despite the books being held upside down. It uses a thin strip of elastic cloth to keep the books in place and shouldn’t take more than an afternoon to build. Quite the illusion…
Ever since playing Portal, I’ve always wanted my own Aperture Science portal gun. When the feds are chasing me, there is no getaway cleaner than teleportation. Instructables member Chiok feels the same way and hopes to get into the props and special effects industry by creating this replica of the famous portal gun found in Valve’s puzzle game, Portal.
Using some wood filler and a mess of plastic, foam, paint and chicken wire, Chiok created a near exact replica of the gun. If only it shot portals, then my wildest dreams would come true.
