Don your favorite bathrobe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this week’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. The Weekend Reader features a handful of the most interesting articles featured on the ‘Smack over the past week ranging from tips and tricks to inspirational designs, processes, and more. So lay back, relax and take a load off while reading the top stories on SolidSmack this past week. Oh and uh…don’t forget to shed some much-needed sunlight on your face, too. This Modified HEXA Robot Takes Care of The Plant On Its Back Over the course of evolution, plant life has gotten pretty complex. There are carnivorous plants, poisonous plants, heck, there are…

Not everybody knows how to play the game, but almost anyone can appreciate the quality of a good chess set. The smoothness of the pieces, the feel of the metal – it makes you wonder how some of the most expensive sports equipment is used on a tabletop “board” game. But not New York designer Jimmy DiResta. In a collaboration with fellow designers Mark Dolan, Brian McCauley, Brandon Fischer, Kip Vanover, and Sean Rubino, Jimmy aims to bring out the uniqueness of the sport in a chess set he crafted from blueprints he devised of from the back of his mind. This chess set is unique because unlike most designers…

If you’re a SolidSmack regular around here (and let’s be honest—you probably are), then you’re no doubt familiar with one of our all-time favorite ‘garage inventors’, Colin Furze. The five-time Guinness World Record Holder and YouTube’s undisputed king of crazy inventions have kept millions of viewers entertained with off-the-wall concepts that are both insane and functional—from The World’s Fastest Pram to a working Hoverbike. In total, his video process journals have earned him nearly 5 million YouTube subscribers and a staggering 450 million views. Now, Furze wants to inspire a younger generation to find their own inner-wackiness through invention with his new (and first) book, This Book Isn’t Safe. With…

While most folks say the best way to make a burger is by hand, a majority of them likely aren’t doing it over and over again on a daily basis. Some people love flipping patties as much as Spongebob Squarepants, but unlike the yellow cartoon sponge, they most likely want more from life than smelling like grease and meat all day. Creator, a start-up restaurant from San Francisco, aims to change the burger game by making their ingredients fresher and their employees more…robotic: Though the establishment has its human employees, what gets customers’ attention has to be the robotic chef. Run by 350 sensors, 50 actuators, and 20 computers, this…

There’s a very interesting story that’s slowly being told, industry after industry. This is one of them. In Milan, Europe’s largest Opera House, La Scala, was to put on a performance of Don Pasquale. During one of the scenes, the production managers and set designers decided the soprano was to sing from within an automobile, floating above the stage. The problem was that the particular automobile they desired, a Lancia B24, was quite heavy and hard to find. They decided to reproduce it, rather than use an actual version of the car, to avoid this weight. This seems rather ambitious, but they found a way to make it happen. They…

When it comes to being at the right place at the right time, nothing beats that old saying, “the best camera is the camera you have with you.” Perhaps the same can be said for sketchbooks—the best sketchbook is the one you have with you when inspiration strikes. Which is why the pocket-sized Field Notes have always been a favorite for designers and engineers. At just over $3 a pop, these no-fuss 48-page memo books are perfect for laying down rough ideas without worrying about wasting precious paper in a leather hardcover book. Plus, they’re the perfect size for throwing in a shoebox to keep a record of all those…