We’ve said it time and time again, but the Raspberry Pi is just so dang cool and we believe all designers and engineers should have one in their toolkit—if not on their desktop. While there is a bit of a slight learning curve, it’s nothing that today’s designers and engineers can’t handle on a leisurely Saturday. So why not start now? The Raspberry Pi Mastery Bundle includes 8 courses to get started creating your very own Amazon Echo or even a KUKA-like robotic arm for your desktop (how’s that for office bragging rights). Throw in any of your own 3D printed housing designs, and the opportunities are limitless! For a…

For many, half the fun of owning a Nintendo Switch portable gaming console is playing video games—while the other half is spent personalizing the hardware itself. Nintendo gets this; the video game company has put out tons of accessories for the Switch, ranging from various carrying cases to the cardboard-based Nintendo Labo. The number of things you can purchase for a Nintendo Switch is so numerous; you could end up spending more money and time customizing the console than the console itself: Reddit user squid50s has come up with a way to save at least some of those Switch users some money. Seeing as you can’t lug around all those…

We seasoned digital craftspeople can take an idea from a digital model to a physical concept with lightning speed. Unfortunately, that process seems prefered over starting with a physical part to create a digital part. For example, when I get an existing item, already designed with complex molded shapes, that I want to add to my 3D assembly, I can crudely and laboriously try to reverse engineer it–tracing curves, making guesses, and using a complex trial and error duplicating system. But you know what? It feels harder to replicate a shape than it was for the designer to create it initially. So, designers give up and model a basic chunk…

As far as colored pencils go, Prismacolors have just about everybody else beat. Whether you’re a designer, engineer, or even a professional artist, the quality of Prismacolor in a variety of applications is just simply unrivaled. And for those looking to sketch intricate details with defined lines and crisp edges that just can’t be done without a constant sharp point, the brand’s Verithin line of colored pencils feature a hardened core that resists crumbling for ultra-detailed sketch sessions. We love this 24-pack variety of Verithin Colored Pencils to keep around the shop because each pencil lasts seemingly forever—thanks to that hardened core—and can be used for just about any other…

Toys for little girls have come a long way. Instead of gangly, mobility-limited figurines with zero capabilities, young ladies can now opt for an awkward, less mobility-limited, learning, talking, facial expression recognizing robot friend to do their bidding. Its name is Little Sophia. Mixing A.I. technology with traditional toy design, this robot doll is a miniature version of Hanson Robotics’ Sophia A.I. robot which is making waves with celebrities. But, unlike her big sister, Little Sophia has a more direct purpose: teaching the women of tomorrow to be kickass scientists, mathematicians, coders, and roboticists. The 14-inch tall doll doesn’t have much in the way of fashion (or hair, for that…

When I imagine the type of illumination you would shoot from your fist to bake a ham and a side of biscuits, the choice seems pretty clear to me – INFINITE TRIANGULAR LIGHT. We don’t need any of that cubical, or bubble-shaped light shooting from your power knuckles. Unfortunately, we’re not quite there with the light fist tech, so we’ll have to leave it to industrious designers like Ignacio Garcia to inspire us. Yes, leave it to Nacho Libre to permanently change who I imagine and completely endear to me, anyone named Ignacio. “Listen to Ignacio!” “So anyways, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.” Ignacio (*snicker*) created a relatively simple…