We’ve all seen those flashy custom wheels bolted to vehicles most of us couldn’t afford. Like those vehicles, those custom wheels don’t come cheap and were probably designed and manufactured by one of the premier wheel companies such as Vossen Wheels. Ever wonder why those wheels are so expensive (costing about several thousand per-set)? Or, what’s involved in their creation? Vossen shows us how it happens. The process of making the wheels begin with the concept and design phase where engineers look for gaps in their product line and review market trends, which helps give them an idea on where to start. The engineers then turn towards what they term an ‘organic’…

Remember a few months ago Netherlands-based Eric van Straaten sought funding to acquire a color 3D printer? There’s an interesting update to his story. The idea behind his quest was essentially a lack of sufficient quality from existing color 3D printers. He had been using standard 3D Systems’ ProJet powder-based color printers, which do produce good quality prints, but in van Straaten’s case, that quality was insufficient for his use. You see, “quality” is a relative thing. The real question, as always, is “what do you intend to do with it?” For many 3D Systems color printer users, the quality is more than sufficient for their purposes. Perhaps they need…

Since they came screaming onto the scene in 2010 with what is arguably the most original light bulb design since…forever (?) with the Plumen 0013, the Plumen crew has kept their innovation streak going with new updates to the humble light bulb in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. For their latest collection, the British company—which was founded by industrial designers who simply wanted a better lightbulb—turned back the clock and sought inspiration from the original Edison bulbs to blend new lighting technology with the well-loved aesthetic of the lightbulbs from yesterday. Based off of the intricate, wound filaments seen in traditional Edison bulbs, the company’s new WattNott line…

Programmable robot toys tend to be on the cute side. Think of the popular BB-8 toy from last year or the popular pup Tekkno from the 90s. But when it comes to spiders, cute isn’t the first thing that pops into your head. Somehow Roboeve, a Beijing based team of engineers, made a robot spider that is actually quite adorable. Taking inspiration Monsters Inc., Ghost in the Shell and other Anime films, the company created Xpider, the smallest programmable, 3D printed robotic spider in the world. Xpider has a 3D printed structure mad to be lightweight, durable reproducible and customizable. Like Hexbug spider bots, this guy is small. Measuring 3.4…

I believe there’s a study somewhere that shows 78% of Engineers and Designers, who plan a move into a management position, plan to light their office with industrial-chic light fixtures using vintage light bulbs… That figure may have been 7%… Numbers, Meh. Anywho, vintage light bulbs are all the rage, and judging by the 2000+ downloads of #David’s Vintage Bulb Set, a few people like the 3D models as well. #David needed some bulbs to light some fixtures he was designing. He decided on some Bulbrite Nostalgic Edison lights, bought them online and went to work modeling up the incredibly stylish bulbs in SolidWorks. He has included three bulbs: The…

Although some manufacturers have created specific multi-tools for various applications, little has changed over the years for all-in-one tools since Tim Leatherman created the first “Boy Scout knife with pliers” back in the 1980s. While convenient, multi-tools are rarely something you want to use unless you are in pinch and didn’t have standard tools nearby. With their newly-announced Center-Drive multi-tool, however, Gerber has created a multi-tool that is so considered, you may even want to use it even when you’re not in a pinch. Starting with the full-sized center-axis screwdriver, the company has built the multi-tool for maximum torque and rotation. As anybody who has put together a small assembly…