Gheee! Are you seeing these? ARE. YOU. SEEING. THESE. This is not the exterior of the [insert name of random sci-fi ship or planet size weapon]. It’s a 3D printed array of sci-fi style diorama tiles that have more applications than Darth Vader’s cape. The sci-fi diorama tiles by Roy Ang are 1/72 scale – each is 75mm x 75mm x 15mm (3″ x 3″ x 0.6″) and weigh approximately 80 grams. Given that it takes 1-2 hours to print, you could have a 10-foot section of wall covered in ONLY 1,280 hours. If you want a smaller area, say, YOUR FACE, you’re probably looking at 8-12 hours depending on…

Tough, durable, long-lasting toys were almost nonexistent in my household when I was growing up. Transformers often lost their limbs after a month or so, G.I. Joes normally went to war without their weapons and “Have you seen the pieces to my new Lego set?” was a question routinely heard by my parents and siblings. That’s not to say there weren’t any toys that could last a lifetime. That’s certainly so with the solid design behind toys from Tonka, Hot Wheels, and Fisher-Price (all of which are likely to be found intact during some archeological dig 1,000 years in the future). California-based ThoughtFull Toys wants to add their name to…

It’s very much a first world problem, but a problem that plagues desktop workers all the same: cold hands. While the problem is more prevalent for computer gamers, cold hands are a very real problem for those who sit at their workstations all day—in fact, it’s just plain science. As a result—whether the office thermostat is uncomfortably cold or not—we’re left with icy fingers that can make typing an email or powering through those keyboard shortcuts more of a pain than it needs to be. Well, there’s a Kickstarter for that, folks. The Heatbuff is a literal keyboard heater for keeping those icy fingers toasty. Billed as the ‘Future of…

When you’re a kid, few things go better together than tools and a build-it-yourself project. Ok, maybe peanut butter and jelly. But for the young mechanic in the family, this engine repair set from Hammacher Schlemmer will take care of the former—and safely, too. Featuring a somewhat detailed engine in the body of a fake car, the Car Lover’s Engine Repair Set comes complete with a dipstick, removable cowling, spark plugs, wing nuts, and other lifelike car components. Heck, there are enough car components in this thing to make your 4-year-old more excited to go to Autozone than Toys-R-Us. https://youtu.be/RL6TH2wmDb0 As for the best part, once a repair job is…

While 3D printing might have lost its magic in the mainstream, there’s no denying that those that are still in the thick of it are coming up with ever more impressive ways of extruding melted plastic into functional objects. And for some, 3D printing is still a viable way for not just prototyping but also manufacturing at scale. The problem is, how do you speed the process up? How can you cost-compete with injection molding? The folks over at Brooklyn-based Voodoo Manufacturing just might have one of the best solutions we’ve seen yet in the form of Project Skywalker. https://youtu.be/GoNRTucoErE Using a Universal Robots UR10 robotic arm, the company has…

This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist knocks you in the pop sockets with head-boppin’ groove tuneage to help propel you through the work week in style. Whether you find yourself inking markers until they’re dry, grinding material through a bandsaw or working that 3D geometry all day, consider these tracks as a tool for your process. This week we’ll start things off with “Melted Rainbow” from Mr. Gnome and work our way through tracks from Nap Eyes, The Shivas, Yuno, Magic Potion, and others before wrapping up with “Chameleon World” from Jerry Paper. Have suggestions? As always, let us know what you listen to, what you want to hear and…