Complex Hacks

DIY Induction Heater

  We have featured DIY Induction Heaters here before. There is something about heating a big chunk of metal with no contact that is so appealing. Uzzors2k has a great write-up about his experiments with his Induction Heater, it is filled with trial and error which we can all learn from.  "To test my new driver I had a large work coil and tank capacitor already built for a previous

MechRC Robot now available at Trossen Robotics

  MechRC is a cool new robot that is very technical but unlike other applications of technology where the product becomes more complex this device is simplified by it. Unlike most programming where you need to enter complex commands to be executed with this robot you simply show it what you would like! Our friends over at Trossen Robotics are the first in the United States to offer the robot,

DIY Fog Screen Projection Display System

  Steve from Finkbuilt has put together a cool DIY FOG Screen, unlike the commercial models that cost tens of thousands he built his on a DIY hobbyist budget. The video shows a perfect application which is a scary Halloween evil eye. "The effect uses rear-projection video, shined onto a screen of water vapor created by ultrasonic atomization, that is sandwiched between 2 laminar airflows, which keep the sheet of

Webcam Vision Projects

  Ashish Derhgawen has done lots of interesting work with vision. You can see all of his projects on his Ashish’s Programming Journal. Best of all the vision is captured with a simple webcam which makes these projects possible for any hobbyist. Here are a few links to my favorite projects of his. Laser Pointer used as a Mouse (first video). Pan Tilt Webcam using a Mouse (second video). This

Open Stepper Project

  Carl Erickson from Phenostream has built a very small yet very smart stepper motor. Many of them can be controlled via a daisy chained serial connection which could make it simple to interface with complex projects. This car project is a cool example of the possibilities. "The OpenStepper Module (OSM) is comprised of a GSM_01 and the OpenStepper circuit board. OSM firmware is based on Mike Thompson’s popular OpenServo

Strain Sensors in Textiles allow for Human Movement Monitoring

  If you get a sore back from bad posture habits or repetitive stress situations from work this Strain Sensors technology could help you in the near future. The sensors remind me of the glove keyboard sensors we have seen before. If this technology advances as fast as everything else is we will soon have these microscopic sensors woven directly into the fabric of a shirt and the outputs will