Science
Diet Coke and Mentos Kit
Recreate the Internet sensation in your own backyard! Fresh from their performance at Maker Faire, the guys at EepyBird hand-crafted replica PVC nozzles just like the ones they use themselves. Each kit contains a variety of nozzle cuts to give you the coolest, highest-shooting geysers. They even throw in a pack of Mentos to get […]
Toys & Games: Coke Zero, Diet Coke, fountain, Games, geyser, Mentos, Science, toys
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
The Truth Meter
See what happens when someone asks you questions or when you laugh or get surprised. Everyone responds differently. See if you can turn the LED on with your mind. Try it on your friends or adversaries — it’s a great way to get to know someone! We’ve even included a few extra resistors, so you […]
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
Reinventing Edison: Light Bulb Kit
Thomas Edison purportedly said that he didn’t fail 700 times in trying to make the incandescent light, he succeeded in proving 700 ways not to do it. Now it can be your turn. This fun science kit is designed to excite and engage experimenters of all ages in re-creating the development of the first light […]
Analog Geiger Counter
MAKE contributor John Iovine has been designing and improving affordable Geiger counters for decades. After Japan’s nuclear crisis last spring, his company was swamped with orders. Now they’re working on even better designs and DIY kits. This analog counter detects beta radiation above 36 kilo-electron volts (keV) and gamma above 7keV, signaling each radioactive particle detected with an […]
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 […]
Cloning a Fluorescent Gene
When I told my 8-year-old daughter I had a kit to clone fluorescent jellyfish DNA, she was excited to try it. But this is a high-school level project. The reagents are sent in a styrofoam box with dry ice, and the projects require a polymerase chain reaction thermal cycler (which Genotyp will loan out to classrooms that […]
Energy Wiz
Aimed at kids 8 and up, this kit has real heart. Its 48-page workbook and components (solar cell, buzzer, two motors, LED, capacitor, copper rivets, pinwheel, etc.) take you through lessons and fun experiments that teach the basics: What is energy, as distinct from force? What forms does it take? How can it be converted […]
