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. How an Electrical Engineer Revolutionized the UX of Modern Transit You may take it for granted nowadays, but the simplified nature of current metro maps can be attributed to a single person:…

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 ‘vintage’ streaming internet radio over a weekend. Throw in your own 3D printed housings, and the opportunities are limitless! For a limited time, The Raspberry Pi Mastery Bundle is…

When it comes to functional workspaces, proper tool organization cannot be stressed enough. After all, does anybody enjoy having to bounce from drawer to drawer looking for that one special screwdriver? We didn’t think so. While it may not organize every took in your shop, the handmade Waterproof Waxed Canvas Tool Rool from Hide & Drink is still one of our favorites. In fact, we like that we can bundle specific tools for specific tasks in different rolls—making it easy to grab and go when the time comes. In total, each roll includes slots for six different tools (or a variety of small tools). Not to mention, the waxed canvas…

I’m looking at a very interesting concept 3D printer from engineer Swaleh Owais. The “WorkHorse 3D” is a 3D printer able to do some functions few other machines can accomplish. First, it is one of several “continuous” 3D printers in that it can, by itself, automatically unload prints and commence 3D printing a subsequent object. The Workhorse 3D does this by use of a conveyor belt system. The print is applied to the stationary belt in the usual manner. But when the print completes the belt is engaged and the print actually rolls off the belt when the belt curves away under one of its rollers. All you need is…

As modern video games continue to break out of their mold and become a new medium for immersive storytelling, so too does the need for more accessible—and considered—hardware designs for a growing population of gamers. While we’ve seen a number of brilliant one-off solutions from hardware modders including Ben Heck, whose various one-handed PS4 and XBox mods can accommodate single-handed use, little has been done to solve these problems on a mass level by a major console manufacturer—until now. https://youtu.be/9fcK19CAjWM With their $99.99 Xbox Adaptive Controller, Microsoft is opening a new portal for gamers with disabilities by allowing them (or their gamer buddies) to program two large buttons and input…

No, I didn’t make a mistake with the product’s spelling. Created by the father-son design team at Onehundred, Brdis are foldable bird feeders designed specifically for birds. So while humans have Ikea furniture to decipher and build, birds have Brdis (except humans have to make these for them as well). Crafted from .025” (6mm) foldable aluminum, these bird feeders—like Ikea furniture—arrive flat and require some elbow grease before you can fill them with nuts, seeds, or even Trail Mix. Before arriving at the final design, creators Dave and Calvin Laituri made the unfortunate mistake of crafting the initial prototype out of cardboard. Since birds tend to be finicky creatures and…