Self-curing resin finds use in a tougher bicycle helmet

Bike helmets work by absorbing impact energy that would otherwise be passed through to the wearer’s head. An experimental new helmet is claimed to do so better than conventional models, thanks to a special resin.Continue ReadingCategory: Bicycles, Tran… Continue reading Self-curing resin finds use in a tougher bicycle helmet

School Project Turns Plastic Waste Into Bricks

Many plastics are, in theory at least, highly recyclable. Unfortunately, in reality, most plastic ends up as waste instead, harming the environment and providing no ongoing value to society. Wanting to investigate possible ways to repurpose this material, [Rehaan33] built a rig to create bricks out of waste plastic for …read more

Continue reading School Project Turns Plastic Waste Into Bricks

DIY Socket for Prosthetics Contains Power Supply, Charger

Innovation in prosthetics is open to anyone looking to enhance the quality of life, but there’s an aspect of it that is sometimes under-served. The DIY Prosthetic Socket entry to the Hackaday Prize is all about the foundation of a useful prosthesis: a custom, form-fitting, and effective socket with a useful interface for attaching other hardware. While [atharvshringaregt] is also involved with a project for a high-tech robotic hand with meaningful feedback, socket fitting and design is important enough to be its own project.

The goal is not just to explore creating these essential parts in a way that’s accessible …read more

Continue reading DIY Socket for Prosthetics Contains Power Supply, Charger

Blowing Arcylic Canopies Using Stuff From Around The Shop

Blowing an acrylic sheet after heating it is an easy way to make a smooth and transparent canopy or bubble for anything from clams to light fixtures. [Michael Barton-Sweeney] does it using plastic blow ovens he made cheaply, mainly from stuff which most of us already have in our workshops.

All you need is a way to heat the plastic, to then clamp it down around the edges, and finally to blow air into it as you would when blowing up a balloon. Of course, there are things to watch out for such as making sure the plastic is heated …read more

Continue reading Blowing Arcylic Canopies Using Stuff From Around The Shop

Intra-Oral Device Detects Opoid Overdose

As you may have heard, the U.S. is in the grips of an opoid epidemic. Overdose deaths from heroin, oxycontin, and fentanyl have quadrupled since 1999. The key to detecting opoid overdose before it’s too late is in monitoring respiration. Opoids in particular cause depressed respiration, which is slow and ineffective breathing that’s inadequate for the gas exchange that keeps us alive. Depressed respiration becomes fatal unless the patient is given nalaxone, an antidote that works by blocking opoid receptors in the brain.

[Curt White] is developing an intra-oral device to prevent opoid overdose via early detection. It tracks a …read more

Continue reading Intra-Oral Device Detects Opoid Overdose

DIY Injection Mold Design for the Home Shop

3D printing is great for prototyping, and not bad for limited runs of parts. Unfortunately though it really doesn’t scale well beyond a few pieces, so when you’re ready for the mass market you will need to think about injection molding your parts. But something like that has to be farmed out, right? Maybe not, if you know a thing or two about designing your own injection molds.

The video below comes from [Dave Hakkens] by way of his Precious Plastic project, whose mission it is to put the means of plastic recycling into the hands of individuals, rather than …read more

Continue reading DIY Injection Mold Design for the Home Shop