Component Quality: 4
(5=Highest quality) How nice are the components in terms of materials, design, fit, and other qualities? Well-made circuit boards, computer-cut plastic and metal parts, and other precision components add to the experience.
Stirling Engine
This beautiful engine teaches you the basics of thermodynamics as its power comes from an external heat source, which can be anything from fuel to solar to geothermal energy. The instructions are in Japanese, but the Maker Shed page has an English translation. MAKE is proud to be the exclusive distributor in North America for […]
Science: heirloom tech, Science, Stirling Engine, thermodynamics
Brain Machine
Hack your brain! Put on these glasses and headphones, close your eyes, and enjoy some harmless hallucinations as you drift into deep meditation. You’ll come out after the 14-minute program feeling fabulous. Sound and Light Machines (SLMs) help people sleep, wake up, meditate, and more. They work by generating light pulses (seen through closed eyelids) […]
Science: meditation, relaxation, Science, sound and light machines
Litiholo Hologram Kit
Making holograms became faster and easier a few years ago when Litiholo introduced its Instant Hologram film. Like old Polaroids, these film plates require no developing after exposure, which means, in about an hour, you can make your own transmission hologram of anything that will sit still next to the plate. The kit also includes […]
Laser Voice Transmitter and Receiver
This amazing demo shows how you can transmit sound over a laser beam. The transmitter modulates power to a laser pointer with audio from a headphone jack. The receiver is just an earphone and a solar cell; no power source. I assembled both in minutes, and it was strange (in a good way) to hear music […]
Perfume Science
Learn about the sense of smell with eight perfume oils and a variety of jars, mixers, and pipettes. Experiments range from fragrance extraction to composing your own perfume scents. My friend and I enjoyed one experiment where we prepared test strips of all the fragrances and then guessed which we were sniffing. I got two […]
TubeSat Personal Satellite
TubeSat makes space your personal laboratory. You build a satellite the size of a large soup can, get it launched into a 310km Earth orbit moving 17,000 miles an hour, and talk to it via ham radio a few times a day for 1–3 months. Smile as you reflect on your new skills in surface-mount […]
