As many a designer or engineer knows, there’s no better way to learn than to jump in and get messy. Heck, that’s why the best way to learn a complicated CAD tool isn’t to read a book, but to get your hands dirty and make mistakes. Only then will your brain start to program the rights from the wrongs. Well, that same approach can be applied to just about anything—but off the top of our heads, we’re digging this project-based approach to Arduino consisting of 15 complete projects to get you on your way to becoming an Arduino ninja in no time. At just $9, this 15-project Arduino Bootcamp bundle…

Those wood parts won’t smooth themselves! But how often do you spend wrestling a piece of sandpaper around weird edges—only to be left with a half-crooked and totally botched result? There’s a remedy for that — and we can’t recommend it enough. The Preppin’ Weapon sanding block is a workshop necessity that lets users load sandpaper and adjust tension quickly and easily. And while just one Preppin’ Weapon sanding block will go a long way in your process, arming yourself with a four-pack for four different levels of grit will take it to another level—no need to stop and reload! For power users, the Preppin’ Weapon also lets you stack…

When you typically think of a CNC machine, you’re likely to envision a gigantic monstrosity that makes its home in a corner of a factory and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. I mean, you wouldn’t be wrong. The SwissMak Desktop CNC Machine, however, seeks to provide the same milling quality at a significantly lower price point—just $3,000. Built from solid metal, the SwissMak features an 8-station live tool turret, a swiveling 30 taper milling head, and a 5-axis mill-turn machine designed to cut your metal bits at any angle. Impressive, to say the least. “The low-cost machine tool market is dominated by low-quality imports; the majority are copies of…

From the terrifying Terminator-like models from Boston Dynamics to the slightly less terrifying ice cream-serving Yaskawa-kun in Japan, there’s no denying that the age of robot assistance is upon us. That said, just like humans—no two robot models are the same. And what better way to test the dexterity of one robot from another than the old IKEA furniture assembly experience—itself a test of sorts for human dexterity? Recently, robotics researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore successfully instructed a pair of industrial robot arms to complete the assembly of a common IKEA chair (the Stefan) using “no special provisions for robotic assembly.” That said, the researchers did present the…

It’s time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device(s)! The Weekly App Smack is the best of new or updated design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list sure to make you more efficient. Do you have an app suggestion that has made your life easier or changed up your workflow? Let us know in the comments below or send it into tips@solidsmack.com. Hit it! Genius: Song Lyrics & More (iOS — Free) Genius is the world’s biggest collection of song lyrics, videos and crowdsourced musical…

When it comes to product design books, it’s not always easy to eliminate glamorized portfolios from those that get down to the real nitty-gritty of product design. And when it comes to those actually worth reading, Don Norman will never do you wrong. As a strong (and very early) advocate for user-centered design, Norman is a pioneer in UX and UI design principles that exist in many of the products we use today. In his book, The Design of Everyday Things, Norman dives deeper into not just why…but how smart design is changing the landscape all around us—and what you can do to give your designs a competitive edge. If…