Would you say bottle openers are useless? Some would… until they find themselves in a situation which needs one. But since most bottle openers are single purpose and slightly more useful than a rock, not too many folks carry one on their person. But, what if it had more uses? When designer David Enrico came…

As much as we love discovering new and quirky product designs, there’s something about utilitarian design from the 21st century that strikes our fascination every time—particularly when it’s restored to its former glory. YouTube creator DiesInEveryFilm Customs makes a ton of knives, sheaths, and metalworks on his channel, but his most fascinating pieces are his…

Chances are you have a ton of plastic containers at home with even more plastic lids that never fit the particular container you want. Though plastic containers are sturdier than plastic bags, they aren’t very space-efficient. Why not blend the two to create the best of both worlds? Such is the premise behind Zip Top…

Whenever a tree is cut down to produce paper, furniture, or any other product, it’s likely that not all parts the tree are used. Frequently, bits of the tree trunk that are hard to work with are left to rot and never to be used. Instead of watching local Tennessee tree stumps get turned into…

Believe it or not, quite a number of people still use analog cameras. Whether it be for the nostalgia or the thrill of knowing the number of shots you have are finite, analog cameras still have a place in this digital, selfie-taking world. What is a Pinhole Camera? A pinhole camera is a type of…

In this era of near-all-day-long screen time for many, issues like eye strain, headaches, and poor vision are becoming the norm. If you aren’t wearing glasses or contacts already, you may need them soon enough if you’re not glancing away every now and again. In the meantime, you can also make the jump over to…

Remember all the times you spent building impossible sandbox structures as a kid so that you could drive your toy cars through them? While seeing a grown adult do the same thing may seem kind of…well, weird, Audi has given us an excellent reason to jump right back in the sandbox and become a kid…

Nobody likes getting stung by bees, but all things considered, bees are actually kind of amazing—and are essential to any ecosystem. The only reason a bee would sting you is if you agitate it or get too close to its beehive. Wasps, on the other hand, are like living darts with a bad attitude; they…

Only the most gullible of people would believe hypnosis works, but dang it anyways, it sure is alluring to see a bunch of swirls rotate in place. The Mezmoglobe is in no way a portable hypnosis apparatus. Composed of aerospace grade aluminum rods, these 54 mm spheres have stainless steel bearings inside them which allow…

Even though the game has been out for more than two years, Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch just keeps getting bigger and bigger. They’ve already made stop-motion videos and Nerf guns, so it was only a matter of time before the massive franchise moved on to everyone’s favorite building toy: LEGO. To complement the small-scale Bastion set,…

With all the complicated manufacturing technology and automated processes around us nowadays, it’s nice to take things back to basics every now again and remind ourselves how brilliant good-old-fashioned handiwork can be. Traditional Chinese crafter Li Ziqi doesn’t need computers or fancy machines to make furniture; all she needs is a ruler, some hammers, chisels,…

When you think of furniture designs in the far future, you might think of crazy generatively designed stools that hover in mid-air or chairs that push themselves around like a Roomba to fit your Feng Shui taste of the moment. But these designs don’t actually SOUND comfy now, do they? Apart from the unease of…

This past July, we checked out the APSX Spyder Desktop CNC Machine. It’s not the only sub-$5k high-precision desktop CNC machine on the market, of course. One commentator brought up another option, the Saturn Series CNC Router from Fine Line Automation. The team at Fine Line Automation call the Saturn Series “the most advanced CNC…

Perhaps you wouldn’t simply hand your young kid his or her own iPhone to play Fortnight all day every day, but would you stop them from having their own mobile phone if they had to learn how to build it from scratch? What about if they had to code their own apps? The MAKERphone may…

It’s always fun to see how products are made, but sometimes you need a dose of some good old-fashioned product destruction for stress relief, too. Ever since 1975, Utah-based blender company Blendtec has been making blenders that shred, maim, and well… blend ingredients into an easily digestible mush. Fast forward to 2006 and the rise…

Even though he’s the most plausible superhero of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man’s abilities are still the stuff of good old science fiction. How can one man fly around in a heavy suit of armor powered by an arc reactor which generates enough energy to light up a Christmas tree a million times over?…

You know what’s cool? Having the power of a PC in the palm of your hand. You know what isn’t cool? Not having the ability to use Photoshop when you have downtime on your travels. Well, this is about to change; iPad devices are about to get the FULL Photoshop experience. That’s right — you…

All of us were told off from drawing on the walls as children for a lot of reasons. Maybe it’s because we couldn’t reach high enough for our parents to appreciate our work. Or perhaps they couldn’t see art if it was right in front of their faces. Or it could just be the uncleanable,…

It doesn’t necessarily take a car nut to stop and stare at a cool vintage car. In fact, it can easily become an instant conversation-starter; a timeless way to break the ice. This attraction to the classics is exactly what watchmaker Willer Chronometers is going for. Inspired by old-school sportscars and the Mile Miglia open-road…

Even though I don’t play golf, I certainly appreciate how downright sturdy and impressive the design of golf balls are. Measuring at least 1.680 inches in diameter and weighing no more than 45.93 grams, these balls made from rubber and hardened plastic feature anywhere from 250-400 dimples to make them more aerodynamic and generally take…

Despite advances in the field of helmets and head protection, few safety gear companies give as much attention to another critical part of the body for getting work done: the hands. Sure—your head is the brains of the outfit (literally), but without fully-functional digits, getting manual work done is next to impossible. While many gloves…

You didn’t read the title wrong. Whenever you hear of Russian company Kalashnikov Concern, it usually has to do with the myriad of rifles they have been making since 1807. What doesn’t come to mind is the same company working on an environmentally-friendly electric car. Unveiled during the ARMY-2018 military trade show, a prototype concept…

Some people say a design is at its best when it’s at its simplest, but I’m pretty sure the statement doesn’t apply to everything. Take the NU:RO for example. Created by Anton Repponen of the Anton & Irene New York Studio, the analog watch is a heaven sent for minimalists but may be a bit…

Ever since Amazon’s Alexa was released back in November 2014, I’ve been afraid of inanimate objects suddenly greeting me or setting my schedules. It’s gotten so bad I’ve decided never to name any future pets or daughters ‘Alexa’, for fear I might suddenly activate a bystanding Alexa-enabled device. This is only going to get harder…

AR, VR, and “Mixed Reality” headsets may take us to unexplored and fascinating worlds, but at the end of the day, these machines are still just hunks of metal, plastic, and circuity we cover our eyes with. If you’ve ever wanted to know what kind of magic happens inside, the guys over at iFixit.com recently opened…

Morphi is a (sort of) free app for the iPad, Mac, and Windows devices that lets users push, pull, and craft 3D creations via a touchpad device. Its simple nature makes it ideal for starting kids out in the world of 3D modeling and showcasing their work — with tools such as stop motion and AR/VR…

While the Nintendo Switch Labo lets you create your own external peripherals, there’s no getting around the fact the vanilla Labo consists of flimsy cardboard. To this end, people have been finding other materials to better improve Nintendo’s ambitious—but in some cases, materially flawed—creation. And what better material to use than LEGOs! Apart from being a…

Sure, you can ask your grandmother about it, but I’m certain her explanation of how cookie cutters are made won’t be as relaxing (or intriguing) as the “making of” videos from Cookiecutter.com. This family-owned and operated business may not sell actual cookies, but their love for the baking craft shows through in their various baking…

What would you do if the humble business you owned suddenly got funded by…I don’t know…10,000,000 US Dollars? A lot of options come to mind (a few involving Olympic-sized pools filled with ice cream) but for Auterion – the startup drone software company who actually won said funding – their plan is to solve the…

You wouldn’t think it at first glance: “Come on, a hairdryer of all things?” But look past the nozzles, diffusers, and concentrators and you’ll find something with far more value. It goes without saying that the gold inlays of the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer are pretty expensive, but what’s even more priceless is the art of…

Seeing as the gaming community spends the majority of their time in front of a desk or television sitting down, it’s usually their gluteus maximus which get the most exercise. But when you’re sucked into a game of Overwatch, Battlefield, or DOTA 2, chances are you won’t have the luxury of thinking about small things…

Barring martial arts, American football is certainly one of the most violent sports out there. I mean, why would you go out of your way to tackle somebody at full speed when you know he’s running headfirst into you with the same idea? Broken bones sprained ankles, concussions – these are risks every player takes…

While multi-million dollar companies are trying to bring the flying car dream into the real world, one ambitious Filipino man has already beaten them to the punch. Kyxz Mendiola isn’t a famous designer, engineer, or CEO of some big wig company. In fact, he’s a dancer! Most of his electrical engineering, fabricating, aircraft designing, and…

In an age where humans generate more waste than they know how to dispose of properly, more designers are continuing to make greener choices with their creations. We have kitchen knives made from old skateboard racks, furniture made from bricks made from recycled newspapers, speakers which use plastic bottles as bass boosters, and now… aluminum…

Even though centuries have passed, the act of designing and making objects is still primarily the same: the human mind comes up with a project, the human hand sketches it down, and finally, human hands get to work on manually making the dream a reality. Throw in some modern computer-know-how and manufacturing technologies in there,…

Now I personally don’t carry around a portable speaker. Not because they’re heavy and totally inferior to headphones (though those are pretty valid points), but because I rarely come across a mini speaker which doesn’t sound like it’s blasting five layers of static along with what it’s supposed to be playing. Long story short: there…

I’ve covered my fair share of household hardware here on SolidSmack: from an intricately-designed LED lamp all the way to a pizza oven made from a Pilates ball. But nothing has been as simple as this: The Vettis Concrete by luxury fittings brand Brizo is as simple as faucets come. No hand-activated sensor or hidden…

They may seem useless at first, but you can’t deny mobile device stands make up a rather quirky part of the consumer market. These hefty, often colorful accessories are for those who lack the extra appendages to hold their devices upright while doing something else. The Montelouro is no exception. Crafted by Rafael Fernández Sánchez…

You may look at the headline and ask, “Wait, what does he mean by 25 pieces of furniture from six pieces”? And to this, I say, “It’s easier if I just show you.” VARIA isn’t some math-defining furniture set, but rather set made from six pieces: 2 stools, 2 barstools (one with a removable cabinet…

The concept of remodeling a home constantly never dies out. From writing on your bedroom walls as a kid to choosing which fixtures to hang in your house as an adult, the appearance of your dwelling can tell visitors just how creative (or boring) you are as a person. Still, it can be quite costly.…

Though 3D printing is imperative for many hardware developers, it’s usually the price of the printer that stops a lot of folks from purchasing their own—as opposed to using an office 3D printer or a 3D printing service. After all, a half-decent desktop 3D printer capable of keeping your tolerances tight can cost well over…

Being able to talk to friends and relatives from far away via Skype or Facetime is all well and good, but it just doesn’t have the physical interaction you get when the person is actually beside you. Combined with the first few minutes wasted shouting to see if the person can hear you over the…

Remember LEGO’s Bugatti Chiron model kit earlier this year? Well, apparently they thought 3,599 pieces wasn’t enough… so they made a life-sized version to go with the 1:8 scale replica. It isn’t for show either; this LEGO “supercar” consists of over 1,000,000 non-glued bricks and can hold two passengers while accelerating to over 20 km/h.…

Young whippersnappers may not know this, but before cell phones could do everything from SMS messaging to your taxes, we had other pieces of hardware to do these tasks separately. Walkmans played music through cassette tapes, accountants did your taxes, and yes, even calculators had their own blocky, hefty designs. Lofree’s Digit Calculator pays homage…

Electronics these days are a dime a dozen. With large companies like Apple and Microsoft duking it out for consumers’ attention, smaller brands need to find creative ways to present themselves to stand out from your run-of-the-mill Beats By Dre. Mapuguaquén (which translates to ‘sound of the earth’ in South American Mapuche) isn’t the easiest…

What you’re looking at right now isn’t a Bluetooth speaker. It isn’t even a pint-sized Roomba. What you see in the photos and videos here is actually Logitech’s newest MX Vertical mouse. While older users of computer peripherals are no strangers to mice the shape of actual rodents (some early computer mice were even bigger…

Don’t get me wrong – today’s graphics cards are no slouch. While they deliver images which are almost on par with blockbuster movies, the biggest issue graphics cards have to deal with right now is light; more specifically, how it bounces, reflects, and refracts off objects similar to the real world. Nvidia Turing isn’t the…

You read it correctly; exoskeletons aren’t just fantasy anymore—they’re officially now a tool in the workforce. But unlike the mechanical aids you see in movies or television, these suits don’t enhance the wearer’s strength twofold but rather increase their endurance to help a person reach overhead. The suit in question is called the EksoVest. Created…

Even in a world full of change, there are many constants in the universe: taxes, Disney’s ever-present plan to own everything your childhood holds dear, and LEGO Star Wars kits. LOTS of LEGO Star Wars kits. While it can’t house the gigantic 7,541-piece Millenium Falcon, this 2,812-piece LEGO recreation of The Empire Strikes Back’s Cloud…

We’ve seen some crazy Nerf builds this year – from Adam Savage’s modified blaster which fires 1,000 paintballs from its magazine to a 3D printed Nuka Cola zapper inspired by the hit video game franchise Fallout. Now there’s a new game franchise that’s been picked up by toy company Hasbro, and that franchise is the…