This is just hilarious. Even more so than the World Of Warcraft treadmill race across Azeroth. It’s a human-powered mobile treadmill by Alex Astilean. Technically the equivalent of a large hamster wheel for humans, this mobile treadmill will have everyone in the park giving you funny looks. Just be careful not to hit anyone. With the momentum this thing could potentially build up, who knows what kind of damage it could do?
Earlier, Ryan spotted some DIY speakers made from paper cups and a pair of headphones. Now Arms22 is one-upping designer Dimitry Zagga with speakers made from Starbucks cups. They actually use a power amplifier, meaning they’ll crank your tunes out at a respectable volume. If you want to make your own, go for it, as the instructions are available online. The caveat? They’re in Japanese.
We don’t get the chance to see many snakebots. There’s the Japanese M-Tran, a shape shifting robot, but that hardly counts as a snakebot. Anna Konda, however, is very much a snakebot. Despite looking and acting very similarly to a penis, Anna is really a firefighter.
Anna has 20 joints, each with 33 degrees of freedom, giving it an extensive range of movement. What makes Anna such a stalwart firefighter is not only does it shoot water, it’s powered by water. Each joint module contains hydraulic valves and cylinders capable of handling up to 1450 PSI of water pressure. The downside is, Anna will never go wireless. Fire hoses aren’t wireless, are they?
In light of this coming Sunday’s Handcar Regatta, a race of human-powered rail-track creations, the team over at Almost Scientific have created a ginormous 10 feet tall 10 feet wide hamster wheel they’re calling the Lumbering Contraption. What purpose does it serve? Well, it controls a slew of doohickeys that mobilize a giant nose picking machine. Weird, right? If only we could use human-sized hamster wheels.
My father had a water-powered calculator once. I remember specifically when I was little, he’d go over to his magic water bottle, uncork it, pour the magic water into his glass and would go out to the porch for hours. I’d pull on his shirt and ask for ice cream and he’d reply “Go away. I’m calculating.” Now it all makes sense. Take the calculator, remove the battery, add a little magic water and voila! Up to three months of power before you have to add more. It’s a steal at $25, especially when magic water goes for $20 per 750ml these days.
We enjoy the idea of concept cars. Whether they be gas-guzzling, budget crippling powerhouses or eco-friendly, self sufficient carts, we support car design ingenuity. However, the Peugeot+ is a design as goofy as its name. There is nothing “plus” about a car missing one wheel. This cicada-esque design is said to be a combination between scooter and car.
So, why is it plus and not minus? Well, it’s environmentally friendly so that’s a plus, but it’s powered by a smaller electric engine that has about as much kick as your lawnmower. That’s a minus.
Kick ass pedal powered Panzers are fighting the good fight. The second annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby inspired a group of guys to construct a human powered Panzer Kampwagen III in 11 days for the purpose of crashing the party. By the time they were finished the tank, they were too tired to crash any party, so they just spent the night in the tank.
If you’re in the Philadelphia area, you can visit the tank where it is now being displayed as public art on the west side of Frankford Ave, just north of Norris St. This monstrous skeleton of gears and steel will be the first place you’ll want to go when the bombs drop.
So far, it’s been a hot summer and it isn’t getting much cooler. Do yourself a favor: order some takeout (preferably Chinese food) and turn the carton into a mini-desktop air conditioner. Fueled by ice and powered by six batteries, this air conditioner is simple to build and serves a practical use for sun stroke prevention.
Clearly, it only cools a small space but it beats burning your ass off in the heat of summer. So, check out this DIY and you’ll be cooling off in no time.
It may not be the hover board from Back To The Future but it’s almost as dangerous. The Altered Pro Module 600 wireless electric skateboard is the only skateboard guaranteed to get lady attention. With a wireless remote for controlling the acceleration and braking of the skateboard, who needs legs?
It can go from 0-19 MPH in only four seconds and can do an 8-12 mile trek on a single charge. Talk about pro-boarding! Those are some mighty intense speeds for a board. You could always wear a helmet but then you’ll also have to disregard the “lady attention” mentioned earlier.
This Ferrari look-alike is the hottest eco-friendly car in existence. Proving that an automobile doesn’t have to run on fossil fuels to look stylish, the Ronn Motor Company has broken the mold that has plagued most environmental friendly vehicles. Running on hydrogen instead of fuel, the Scorpion is the poster-child for alternative solutions to abandoning fossil fuels altogether. Packed with a whopping 289 HP stock and offering a twin turbo option producing 450 horsepower, the Scorpion is damned fast for a car with low CO2 and NOx emissions. It gets the equivalent of around 40 miles per gallon, ensuring that hydrogen pit stops will be sparse.
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