We may have never gotten the chance to build the robots of our dreams as kids (tears), but that doesn’t necessarily mean our children of this generation should also miss out. The STEMI Hexapod is a brilliant do-it-yourself robot. And before you go saying it looks like a mechanical spider, take note this robot only has six legs. Each of those six legs (count ’em!) has three motors which work with the other appendages to give it lifelike movements. These connect to the body of the bot which serves as the housing for the main operating electronics. The legs are programmed on a computer using various lines of code, which…

Ever since we saw Matt Denton’s LEGO Technic Go-kart, we’ve been keeping an eye on his YouTube channel for what’s next. He’s gone through phases of small hexapods, large hexapods, animatronics, Arduino controlled hydraulics and, most recently, massive 3D printed LEGO kits. After completing two other giant LEGO builds, we were pretty sure it was going to be… ANOTHER GIANT LEGO BUILD. When we saw it was the 1979 LEGO Bulldozer (Kit 856)… well, we ran outside, started making construction sounds and crashing into random people, spreading THE JOY. Yeah, we see what a cool uncle you are Mr. Matt. This build is 372 pieces (!) printed on a Lulzbot…

With over 14 million vinyl LPs sold in the United States alone in 2017, it’s no wonder that some artists and hardware manufacturers are putting their lossy MP3 files on the backburner to take a closer look at physical media—including cassette tapes— all over again. But for some extreme audiophiles, nothing beats going straight to the source. And when it comes to analog music, that’s a reel-to-reel tape deck. Last week, for the first time in decades, Germany’s Roland Schneider Precision Engineering introduced four Ballfinger reel-to-reel machines for audiences that prefer warm-sounding analog harmonies to compressed and overly-processed digital files. While rare outside of the homes of true audiophiles, reel-to-reel…

Get that stretch out of your system with this week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist. It’s fashioned up, ready to make you pull your shoulder blades back and knock out another week of meaningful work while you bob your head to the beat. Whether you’re in the shop milling aluminum, sketching the latest product prototypes or modeling up a 3D storm, consider these tracks as a tool for your process. This week o SolidSmack Radio we’ll get the groove going with “Thorns” from (Sandy) Alex G before diving into sweet melodies from Jerry Paper, Night Moves, Real Estate, Tennis and others before wrapping up with “Magic” the Coldplay. Rock! Have suggestions?…

Continuing work on his cellphone charger prototype, industrial designer Eric Strebel takes this opportunity to show how he completes his designs with a bit of high gloss finish. After taking out the electronic components, he fills in the imperfections of the foam using some polyester body filler before sanding it down and coating it in a layer of primer. To make the outside even smoother, he continuously adds spot putty after applying a layer of primer before sanding it down with a higher-grit sandpaper. During this process, Strebel takes the time to experiment with different colored primers (in this case dark gray) to see which one looks best. He eventually…

When it comes to work wear, it’s not always easy to find something that’s both functional and could be pulled off in the office. Thankfully, the expert craftsmen over at LC King Manufacturing and Design have got this sorted. The company’s Indigo Denim Chore Coat—made of lightweight 100% cotton RAW denim—includes four top-loading patch pockets for your pens or smartphone and polished nickel buttons on the cuffs, a snap pocket, and down the front. Sold in its unwashed, unprocessed RAW form, the coat is built entirely by Cone Denim Mills at their White Oak facility in Greensboro, NC. So whether you’re strapping up for a day in the shop, or…