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Looks like motor technology and battery technology have finally evolved to the point where electric planes will be viable. With a few hour charge this electric airplane will give you 1 hour of flight time. The 75 volt battery pack delivers 200A of current to lift off and a full charge takes about $0.75 of electricity! "We have converted my single place, all metal Moni motor glider into a small, efficient electric airplane. We used our ElectraFlyer propulsion parts kit and our large battery pack, custom built to fit the available space in the airplane. The plane was raised for more ground clearance and a larger, slower-turning, much more efficient prop was installed. Static thrust has increased 60%. The plane received its airworthiness certificate in April. The ElectraFlyer-C is flying now and the climb rate has increased dramatically. The flying character of the plane has changed from a very loud, vibrating experience to a smooth quiet ride."
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If you are into movies and audio then a home theater has probably crossed your mind. Jamis has documented his fantastic home theater build for all of us to enjoy. I must say the planning is fantastic and even though he didn’t do all of the work himself he coordinated the installation very well. Have a look at the video, the end result is great. Continue reading below for a small number of progress pictures, to see the full journey have a look at the full log at AVSForum. As you will see, some of the sketched items have changed over the year and a half build process. "Final Equipment List:
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Rube Goldberg machines are fascinating. This corkscrew machine adds in lots of cool mechanical complexity into the simple task of removing a cork from a bottle of wine and pouring it into a glass. "The sheer energy, the monumental proportions of his machines designed to perform the most basic domestic tasks are impressive from the outset. But it is not all about humour and diversion. Returning once again to the “romance” of his objets trouvés (now increasingly difficult to find) in farmers’ scrap yards or as detritus washed up by the sea or abandoned and unfound in a field, whatever the case, they carry with them links with the changing nature of humanity and its relationship to the changing nature of the work it must do." Via: Neatorama |
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The prize this week is a loupe magnifier. This contest will run for one week (March 14 – 19, 2009) . Ending time is based on central standard time. To enter, identify the item pictured above and give an example of what can be done with it. Please do not give the answer in the comments. Send an email to contest @ hackedgadgets.com with "Name the Thing Contest" as the subject, and the message body consisting of:
The winner will be chosen at random from all of the correct entries.
———————————–———- Added March 21, 2009 The item to guess was a Arithmometer Calculator The winner is Almost T. (There were 59 entries) Update – April 4, 2009 Almost There doesn’t need the prize and was nice enough to allow us to give it to someone else. John K. is now the winner of this prize. ————————————–———-
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Is the SixthSense the future of wearable computer interfaces? Everyone today has a pocket full of technology but the interaction with these devices can be clunky. This interface would allow you to interact with your camera, phone, computer amongst other items with ease. "SixthSense is a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information. By using a camera and a tiny projector mounted in a pendant like wearable device, ‘SixthSense’ sees what you see and visually augments any surfaces or objects we are interacting with. It projects information onto surfaces, walls, and physical objects around us, and lets us interact with the projected information through natural hand gestures, arm movements, or our interaction with the object itself. ‘SixthSense’ attempts to free information from its confines by seamlessly integrating it with reality, and thus making the entire world your computer." Thanks for the tip John. 
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Wow, this tiny Xbee 900 rf module is supposed to have a range of 15 miles. We all know that these specs are always best case scenarios that are not attainable in the real world but it probably means that we could get 9 or 10 miles out of it. I can just imagine the projects that could be possible with this type of range! "The XBee-PRO XSC OEM RF module is a 900 MHz wireless solution designed for maximum range within the XBee® footprint. Capable of point-to-point, peer-to-peer and point-to-multipoint networking, the XBee-PRO XSC is ideal for solutions where RF penetration and absolute transmission distance are paramount to the application." Via: Technabob |
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Thanks to Scott Amron for sending us a few of these cool Endo Magnet Clips to have a look at. It’s the strongest fridge magnet I have ever used. The design is cool since you don’t have to pry it off the item it’s holding, simply press the top and it rocks the bottom out of the way. Since the magnet is so strong you can be sure it will hold what you need in place. I used a limited imagination and only used it to hold a calendar and a set of car keys on the fridge but have a look at the picture above, you can obviously let your mind go wild. The weight and size of the device is quite nice, the style reminds me of the 1st generation iPod Shuffle. See the pictures below with an iPod Shuffle in the picture for size relationship. Scott is a true entrepreneur, he operates Amron Experimental and another company called MOQ7 (Minimum Order Quantity) that attempts to presell enough of a new product so that it can be brought to market.
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