With summer nearing its end and fall just around the corner, folks are starting to feel the changes in temperature. Whether it’s the heat or the cold, an air conditioned room is a welcome sight to escape the extremes of either. But what about those times when you need to work, play, or adventure in…

If you use an electric shaver, you know it’s usually the bulkiest thing you pack, and that’s not including the charging base and/or cord. You may have thought it was travel-friendly but you’ll think again after you see the Evo Shaver. For those on the road, it might just be in your top five must-have…

We all know how a guitar works: put your fingers on the strings across the frets, use your other hand to strum the strings, and BAM, you’re creating music. But what if you could change how one of those elements works entirely? Anthony Dickens’ Circle Guitar (created by engineers Jacob Boast, Luke Perkin, and Marie…

My family and I do our best to use recyclable bags for grocery shopping whenever possible. And while it’s a great way to save some pennies and tossing excess plastic bags, it’s a pain to stash bulky bags and a hassle at checkout. It needs to change and Nanobag aims to do so. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGOQHiVJufo The…

We love well-designed toys here at SolidSmack but still, you may be thinking, “This is just a plastic turtle”. Well, believe it or not, this wee plastic turtle is a toy… and a bit of a dark, foreboding, guilt-laden memorial to all the marine life killed off by mindless waste disposal. But more than that,…

It may sound like a movie plot starring you and Tom Selleck, but a team of engineers at The Washington University in St. Louis, led by associate professor of biomedical engineering, Baranidharan Raman, has spent the last few years developing cyborg insects. A $750,000 grant, which was given to the team in 2016 from the…

Anyone who has spent any amount of time baking/cooking/experimenting will know the tedium of measuring ingredients but outside of pre-measured packets what could make it easier? Cass Caps work much like your ordinary measuring cups, only instead of a key ring of clinking metal cups, you have a specially designed cap-of-sorts that screws onto your…

While I’m not much of a coffee drinker (the drink I’m holding in my picture is actually tea), I know some people can’t start the day without a good cup o’ Joe. Easy when you’re at home but, when outdoors, it can be challenging to brew a solid pot of coffee. So how can you…

If you’ve ever tried to kayak before, you’ll know the real predators aren’t the ones you find in the water; they’re the ones hiding out in rental stores. Renting a kayak can cost you an arm and a leg, but what can you do? Even if you happen to have your own kayak, transporting it…

At first glance, the Herring Blade by Che-Wei Wang and Taylor Levy (also known as CW&T) looks like your typical box cutter. You slide it up to extend the blade, swipe it back to retract, and the rest is up to your very careful hands. But upon closer inspection, you’ll see how this blade is…

Young or old, keeping on top of your multivitamins and supplements is hard to keep track of and if it’s meds you need on a daily basis, it becomes even more important. Pill organizers are nothing new. They keep your medication handy when you need it. Some of them even come with labels to let…

For all the clean freaks in the house – meet your new best friend. If you’ve ever had the necessary task of cleaning your home, there are products you’re convinced have been designed to be difficult to clean. We scream for a better solution, in the product design itself or the product designed to clean…

Have you ever wondered how people make sandcastles the size of small fortresses? Apart from time and the proper mix of sand and water, the biggest help comes from the tools they use. Most of them aren’t using those tiny plastic shovels you find at beach shops, but rather solid, industrial-grade tools you would find…

If you’ve ever seen a renovation or construction in progress, you’ll know one of the biggest problems is working around large trees. Unlike shrubs or grass, it’s more difficult to pick up and replant a tree. This usually leads to one of two solutions: either work around the tree or cut it down. But the…

We all enjoy a good bike ride, and with modern smartphones providing you with a handheld GPS, it’s hard to get lost in a city or out in the wilderness. And with the dawn of 3D printed e-bikes with onboard GPS, who has to worry? But even with all the advances in technology, it’s still…

Take a glimpse at the Burls Art YouTube channel and you’ll see just how crazy the creator is about making guitars. A savant in what he aptly calls “guitart”, he has made guitars out of nearly anything imaginable: from paper all the way to jawbreakers. Some of the channel’s most famous builds are the guitars…

The world would be a much better place if, outside of everyone’s front door, there’s a scenic route, primed and ready for brisk walking, jogging, and – of course – cycling. You can avoid so many tricky logistics like fitting or strapping your mountain bike onto your tiny car. Or what to do with a…

Good news from the folks a Gravity Sketch. As if sketching in virtual space was not already cool enough, their development team has gone and made it possible to co-create geometry at the same time, in the same virtual space! Not believing this to be kicked enough, they’ve obliterated the need to share a common…

One day after spending too much time on YouTube searching for random videos, furniture maker and former NFL lineman John Malecki stumbled upon a video by Slovenian Woodworker which shared how to create a ‘floating cave table’ using epoxy and acrylic. Eager to put his own spin on the project, he upped the ante and…

When you think of pillows, the first thing that comes to mind is lying down for a good snooze. A massive pillow fight is likely a close second. Pillow design, however, isn’t something that even seen necessary – stuffing, foam, or feathers sewn up in a sack, right? Yet, this pillow is design with ultimate…

If you like to go on leisurely hikes outdoors, chances are you’ve brought along some snacks for the trip. And while that’s by no means a bad thing, it always becomes a problem when you’ve finished said snacks and have no place to throw your trash. Some good Samaritans keep their trash in their bags…

While the idea of an illuminated helmet is as common as brakes and pedals on a bike, not all lighted helmets are the same when it comes to safety. For instance, it’s a bit surprising but very few helmets have front lights to help oncoming vehicles see their riders. Some have reflectors that reflect light…

If you were around during the late 1980s (or if you just love old movies like I do), you might have heard of a little film called Short Circuit. In it, a military robot called Number 5 is struck by lightning and gains sentience. Short Circuit and its sequel, Short Circuit 2, chronicle the adventures…

We all know brushing your teeth is basic piehole cleanin’ hygiene. However, most of us forget one important part: flossing. And while rubbing a piece of string between your teeth may not hit the top of the fun charts, flossing is essential if you want your mouth to be free of the cavities, gingivitis, and…

It’s always nice when a product’s design lends itself to multiple functions. Not only is it more versatile, but saves a ton of space by doing what two or more things do. And, if you think the room/cubicle divider couldn’t be innovated any further, Stone Designs is out to prove you wrong. Their Gemini divider,…

While face masks may offer some protection from inhaling a nasty virus, personal protective equipment (PPE) like a face shield guard your entire face from coming into contact with touches, sneezes, wood chips and much more. Now, you may have seen list of PPE supplies or some wearing full face shields to protect people from…

Anyone old enough with an internet connection will know a lot of life-size scale LEGO models of real vehicles have been made over the years. Whether it’s a stationary Volkswagen hippie van made from 400,000 bricks or an actual, driveable LEGO Bugatti Chiron, there’s a sense awe that comes from seeing 1:1 scale builds made…

Pendant style overhead lamps can light up a wide area but sometimes they tend to be too bright, especially when you’re directly under them. Some occasions call for a nice muted light to create the right ambiance, like during movie night, or when you are looking to set the mood for a romantic evening with…

Have you ever thought about building your own motorcycle? The TV shows make it look so easy, don’t they? But, I’m not talking about a chopper, I’m talking about an electric motorcycle. And not just any electric motorcycle. Not long ago, contractor, carpenter, and renewable energy enthusiast James Biggar designed and built his very own…

Those of you who inhabit itty-bitty living quarters know that space is a premium. For most, the name of the game for everyday living becomes home organization and efficient use of space. Taming the little stuff is simple enough by just following the old saying “there’s a place for everything and everything is in place.”…

We all know the basics of how a wind turbine works. Using passing winds as an energy source, a typical wind turbine converts kinetic energy into useable electricity. While many wind turbines are large and found in mountainous regions or open fields, the Enlil has a more urban source of wind energy. By plopping this…

LEGO’s are known the world over! Their blocks excite our imagination. Give a kid a mess of Lego blocks and in no time they’ll have a structure reaching to the sky! Yet for all the fun of making buildings or secret caves, let’s face it, there wouldn’t be much life to LEGOs without those tiny,…

It isn’t difficult to grow plants when you have your own garden, but what if you live in a cramped apartment? Not everyone has the space to get their green thumb on, so Chilean industrial designer Lorenzo Vega thought it would be useful to make a modular planter which makes use of otherwise unused vertical…

Months ago, when the thought of a pandemic was just a whisper and inkling in our minds, a press release or blog post announcing a 3D printed glove remover might not have ever caught our attention. In fact, some might think among all the novel inventions a glove remover ranks pretty low on the invention…

It has been a very long time since Vikings roamed the land. Back in the late 8th to late 11th centuries these Norsemen were masters of hunting, raiding, and trading. But they could do almost none of these things without the proper tools, so it only made sense that their smithing techniques were just as…

You can’t go wrong making your own DIY dowel table. With it, you can stack countless things, have a place to eat, or simply kick your legs up on it after a long day, or, yeah… MAKE OTHER THINGS. Using 1” dowels, a stack of 2x4s, some 4x4s, and barrels of glue, Rob from Make…

Now I’m not a smoking man, but even I can see the use of a pocket lighter for various situations. Apart from lightin’ up, a portable flame lets you illuminate dark areas, start a survival fire, or provide quick cauterization of a small wound if you happen to get jabbed in the middle of nowhere.…

Truth be told, I never quite understood e-bikes. I mean, why have an electric-powered bike when a traditional bike provides exercise and less manufacturing and electronic waste? Then again, used as a daily commuter, any extra power would be welcome. Plus – and this is a big bonus – an e-bike helps you avoid public…

Kids these days will never appreciate how good they have it. Smartphones with built-in computers? Bah, back in the day we had to be content with clunky boxes, big screens, and a wad of wires. Even then our computers wouldn’t connect to ‘World Wide Web’ without a dial-up connection. Ah, the good ol’ days, right?…

I can’t quite call myself old enough to have experienced the golden age of the phonograph, ya know since they date back as early as the mid-1800s.  But with the (continual) resurgence of vinyl records, now with the age of hipsters and vintage music enthusiasts, I figure this would be a nice opportunity to see…

Weeks-long isolation brings out the creative juices in us all, but for Japanese Twitter user and cardboard enthusiast koshiyoda, she’s using her powers for one of the most important people in her life: her son. Yes, A Cardboard Laptop After seeing his older brother (who is in junior high school) take part in an online…

It’s hard to take a break between long computer sessions, whether it’s because you’re “in the zone”, finishing a personal project or slammin’ pixels for project deadline. But with MagnetCubes, I think we’ll find ways to jump off the computer an hour or five for some good ol’ fashion play. MagnetCubes Modular Magnetic Blocks https://youtu.be/rKJQYMssSW0…

Bangor is a hop, skip, and a jump east from Liverpool and just north of the Snowdownia National Park in Wales. It’s home to the Bangor Design Conference, at the Pontio Centre, which is typically, at this time of year, in the final stages of planning. However, COVID-19 had to rush in, cause a planetary…

As any child or household cat would tell you, the joy of getting something new breaks down as follows: 10% the actual product, 90% the box it comes in. In an effort to reduce its environmental footprint, Samsung Electronics is introducing new “eco-packaging” boxes for its large TVs, starting with their Serif, Frame, and Sero…

If you like sneakers and you’re interested in sustainable product development, outsourcing smarter, and making sure your products are not made under forced labor conditions, you need to check out VEJA. They’ve been around a while (some 15 years) but you may not have heard of them. Why? Unlike most fashion brands that put the…

Miss our last edition? See it here: Tools I Freaking Love: Hand Tools [Sheet Metal Edition]. You know that sinking feeling. You’re at the doorstep of a major milestone with a smoldering heap of lessons learned. Things didn’t go according to plan and the next options aren’t any good. You need to breathe enough life…

Here’s something you don’t see everyday: using a hundred iPhone cases, guitar maker ArtMayer has effectively created a guitar body worth thousands of dollars. But does it shred just as well as any guitar? Let’s find out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi5xOUv8KHs 1. Strip and Glue the iPhones Just to be clear, these aren’t brand new iPhones he’s using.…

3D printed structures have already made their way into the world of architecture with 3D printed houses to change our word and inspiring future 3D printed houses for other worlds. Now, the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), the Barcelonan experimental and experiential center is making strides (pun intended) into the public construction sector…

If you ever thought your tent was a little too small and uncomfortable to enjoy the outdoors, then this RV/Tiny Home option from Haaks Camper may spark your interest. Designed to fit on the back of a specialized Fiat Ducato, this two-story, pop-up camper doubles as a tiny home that can detach to provide a…

By now you’ve heard it’s important to stay in shape during these trying times, but I bet you haven’t taken it as far as former military police officer, Zachary Skidmore. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced his local gym to shut down, Skidmore needed a way to get some exercise. But rather than risk breaking social…