Chris writes -
“I just took this pic as I was walking down the street here in Palo Alto. This Maker has built an electric 3-wheel transport device, and he/she is charging it as it sits parked in the street! I don’t know who it is….”
This thing is awesome. Ok, Makers - let’s see if we can figure this out — any ideas?
Here’s a really intuitive parallel parking system designed by 5 seniors at the University of Toledo.
“Our project is to build a parallel parking that is to attach a device to the rear underbody of a car. The concept is to first park only the nose of the car into a parking spot, then having hydraulics lift the rear end of the car into the air, then slide the rear sideways into the parking spot, and then lowering the rear of the car.”
They’ve shared pictures and comments about the progression of the project on their blog. The prototype took about 6 weeks to put together and it appears to work really well. I like it because it’s a much simpler solution than the fancy autopilot systems that are creeping into luxury cars now. [via] - Link.
The Transportation Security Administration is offering a simple security checkpoint wait time calculator to help you make more informed decisions next time you travel.
The tool reports historical (not current) wait time averages by airport, day of the week, and departure time. If you regularly head to the airport 2.5 hours early “just to be sure,” or worse, you’ve got the the nasty habit of cutting things too close, this tool could give you a more realistic idea of what to expect.
To be honest, the times seem a bit on the quick side to me, but I guess time is relative when you’re barefoot. Keep in mind that other factors (e.g., weather delays) can increase the number of passengers skulking around the airport, which will most likely increase your wait. Thanks Sean!
“Origami boat is a light folding dinghy for sailing fun.
Almost three meters long, Origami boat carries one adult and its extreme lightweight structure makes it exciting to sail. Afterwards it folds up into a flat pack to the same size as a windsurf board…”
It’s pretty short on details, but the imagination is tall. Matteo Signorini designed the Origami Boat as part of his industrial design engineering course. What’s pretty cool is that he was able to model different designs with paper first, before building out the full-sized prototypes with sheet plastic. [via] - Link.
MAKE Flickr photo pool member citifiedplainsman writes - “My father and his two brothers traded a .22 cal pistol for a Ford Model T and commenced to modify it into a prairie “dune buggy”. It originally had an old baler motor and two transmissions. It was a lot of fun when I was growing up. “ - Link.
A MAKE reader sent in this interesting boat, it seems to be a bit of a mystery, anyone know more? Just…eD writes - “Here is a boat photographed by someone near Ilwaco, WA. The crew was dressed as civilians but would not say a word about the boat or where they were from.” - Link.
Update: That was fast, MAKE reader Waykohler points to this page that has all the details - Link.
Wow, row, row, row your home! This is still bigger than my first apartment - “The SNAIL SHELL SYSTEM is a low cost system that enables persons to move around, change their whereabouts and live in various environments. One unit supplies space for one person. It is mobile both on land and water. One person can move it slowly, either by pushing it like a wheel, walking inside it or on top of it. On water it can be rowed, moved by a kite or hooked up to a vessel, for example, a ferry. The unit rests on one flat side and can be anchored in lakes, rivers, harbours or at sea. On land, it can be placed in city spaces, fields, forests etc. “ [via] - Link.
Wow, we’re getting a lot of great submissions to add to our growing collection of “Maker made” transportation, here’s a series of photos from an early homemade steam powered motorcycle… Annette writes - Ray Clift was born in August, 1912, in Bellingham, WA, where he spent most of his growing up years and young adulthood. Ray was an inventive fellow, as were many of his contemporaries, as kids back then didn’t have many toys. They made their toys! Ray’s working years were spent in photography, machine shop, mechanical engineering and drafting.
Ray and I were married in September, 1973, so I was not an eye witness to his early endeavors. All I have are some photos he kept, his notations, and memories of things he mentioned to me. I believe that the motorcycle was Ray’s only invention using steam power. I recall him saying that the motorcycle wouldn’t go very far.
Ray must have sold or given the motorcycle to someone, probably before he moved to Seattle, WA, about 1949. I remember that an old friend of his told him that he had seen what he thought was the motorcycle, lying abandoned and rusting in a field.
Here are the wonderful photos from Annette…
There is something in the air, and it’s steam… A few Makers sent in some steam powered bicycles, here’s a round up… know of others? Post in the comments.
The Roper Steam motorcycle “Bob Jorgensen of Memphis took “Motocycles 1899″ and immediately fabricated the engine that Sylvester H Roper used on his steam motorcycle. The original boiler which Bob has yet to build provided 160 to 225 psi of steam. Roper died while racing his motorcycle at the age of 73!”- Link.
The Hudspith Steam Bicycle, by Geoff Hudspith The engine is a horizontai single-cylinder, double-acting one of my own design. The bore is 1 3/8″ and the stroke is 1 1/4″, giving about 1/4hp, depending on the pressure of the steam. I ran and exhibited the engine and boiler for several years as a stationary unit driving a 12V dynamo. During this period I made several improvements to the engine, eg: making a boiler feed pump driven by an eccentric on the crankshaft, and controlled by a by-pass valve to the right of the engine. - Link.
Michaux-Perreaux steam bicycle - This is normally considered to be the first motorcycle. Built in France, 1868-1869. The engine is mounted at 45 degrees on the main frame member; behind it is the boiler, with what appear to be fuel and water tanks. Note that this is a velocipede, not a Safety Bicycle, and the pedals are mounted directly on the front wheel. - Link.
1896 Geneva steam bicycle “This authentically restored bicycle, manufactured by the Geneva Bicycle and Steam Carriage Co. in Geneva Ohio, is fitted with a steam engine built on the design of Lucius Copeland, who built his first steam vehicle based on a Star high wheeled bicycle in 1886. It will travel at 12 miles per hour, although maintaining a head of steam at that speed is difficult.” - Link.
