You’ve probably seen the tiny, vibrating Hexbugs that flitter about. Well, they’ve got nothing on this completely spectacular, totally customizable upscale DIY version. We were out at the Bay Area Maker Faire over the weekend and one project we were sad to miss was DiYhumbugs project for kids. The vibrating brush bot that uses a few parts you can snag from the personal care isle of any proper Walgreens, is a project from the spawn of Luxology CEO, Brad Pebbler. Here’s a closer look.
DIYHumbug Project for Kids
DIYHumbugs is a simple project that introduces kids to a lot of cool, practical tools for creating. You know, like their HANDS. Instead of using them for joystick control or screen tapping, the kids get a taste of the smoke rising off a hot solder joint. They get to experience the time it takes to cut and drill a cheap plastic brush. And, they get to feel the anticipation of releasing a fleet of these across the kitchen floor. I give it a 10 for best introductory DIY project, approved for any child who has a set of real tools.
Humbugs Material
- One plastic brush
- One vibrating tooth brush
- Battery pack
- Small plastic zip tie
- Velcro
- Decorations
DIYHumbug Procedure:
Creating a DIYHumbug is a simple procedure. Here are the steps:
- First you have to take a brush (an ordinary plastic brush)
- Remove the handle with a hacksaw and round the end with a file to prepare for the drilling
- Drill the handle side and make two holes for fixing the wires of the battery
- Solder the toothbrush motor to the battery pack
- Attach the motor to the comb with the zip tie
- Attach the battery pack to the comb with the Velcro
- Decorate your humbugs with any decoration you want to make it beautiful
Now, time to have your kids make their own. Thanks to Brad who is currently creating a man-size Humbug to circumnavigate the earth.