While it is fun to get toys that look like your favorite science fiction props, it is less fun when the electronics in them don’t measure up to the physical design. [Steve Gibbs] took a Hasbro R2D2 toy robot and decided to give it a brain upgrade along with enhanced sensors. You can see a […]
Fidget toys are everywhere these days. A particularly popular type simply puts some keyboard switches on a plate to provide a certain type of clicky satisfaction. [wjddnjsdnd] took that concept a step further, building a keychain-sized fidget toy that actually has games on it. The build is based around six key switches in a 2 […]
The meaning of Inception’s ending famously revolves around a top which spins forever in dreams, but in real life comes to a stop like any other top. Any other top, that is, except for [Aaed Musa]’s self-spinning top, which can continuously spin for about two hours before coming to a stop. The one constraint was […]
The balance bikes toddlers are rocking these days look like great fun, but not so great in the snow. Rather than see his kid’s favourite toy relegated to shed until spring, [John Boss] added electric power, and an extra wheel to make one fun-looking snow trike. Like a boss, you might say. Physically, the trike […]
The Tamagotchi Connection is a series of Tamagotchi toys that took the original portable pet concept and mixed things up with a wireless connection, which allowed you to interact with the pets of other proud Tamagotchi owners. This wireless connection is implemented using an infrared transceiver, somewhat like IrDA, but as [Zach Resmer] discovered while […]
Just because LEGO Technic is technically a toy doesn’t mean that you cannot do solid engineering with it, like building air-powered engines. After first building a simple air-powered piston engine, this time around [Jamie’s Brick Jams] sought to not only optimize the engine, but also build a clutch and something to power with said engine. […]
The worst thing about the getting people together is when everyone starts fighting over their favourite map projection– maybe you like the Watterman Butterfly, but your cousin really digs Gall-Peters, and that one Uncle who insists on defending Mercator after a couple of beers. Over on Instructables [madkins9] has an answer to that problem that […]
For people who build their own model trains there are a range of manufacturers from whom a power bogie containing the motor and drive can be sourced. But as [Le petit train du Berry] shows us in a video, it’s possible to make one yourself and it’s easier than you might think (French language video […]
One of the most influential inventions of the 20th century was Big Mouth Billy Bass. A celebrity bigger than the biggest politicians or richest movie stars, there’s almost nothing that could beat Billy. That is, until [Kiara] from Kiara’s Workshop built a Magikarp version of Big Mouth Billy Bass. Sizing in at over 2 entire […]
For those of you who haven’t spent time in North America around this time of year, you may be unaware of two things: one, the obligatory non-stop loop of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” retail workers are subjected to starting November first, and two: there is a strong cultural association between Christmastime and […]