Don your favorite bath robe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this weekend’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader.
For our first week of the new year, we saw everything from the complicated disassembly (and reassembly) of a Rolex Submariner watch, a design duo who are bring the vacuum forming aesthetic to fashion, a shower inspired by showering methods used in space and more.
So lay back, relax and take a load off while reading the top ten stories on SolidSmack this past week.
Masters of Assembly: Reassembling a Rolex Submariner Diving Watch from Scratch
“If disassembling an object and having to reassemble it back into its original state is something that makes your knees buckle with nervousness, 9 times out of 10 you’re probably not a watchmaker…”
Shower like an Astronaut with Space-Inspired Shower System Design
“Imagine cleaning yourself with only 5 liters of water. That’s just over a gallon – and no, it doesn’t have to be a big bucket for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Nor do you need to use a sponge. This is the total water consumption of the plainly-named Shower of the Future, created by Orbital Systems out of Sweden. Although based on research carried out with NASA, this is not the launch company that recently lost a rocket…”
Hoover Sets up Shop on Thingiverse to Offer 3D Printed Vacuum Accessories
“When it comes to partnering up with existing brands to enable users to create 3D printable products and accessories within their own homes, MakerBot has been on the forefront of showing us what that future might look like…”
You Can Now 3D Print the Same Ratchet Wrench That Was Emailed to Space
“When NASA emailed a ratchet wrench file to International Space Station commander Barry Wilmore on December 19th, it marked the first time a file could be 3D modeled on earth and sent up to space for manufacturing…”
LEGO X Creates 3D Models from Toy Bricks
“As if the LEGO Architecture Studio couldn’t get any cooler, a clever hack was unveiled last week that could let designers and architects translate their build objects into 3D data for idea generation and literal rapid prototyping with LEGO models…”
New Video Shows Autodesk’s Ember 3D Printer in Action
“Expected to begin shipping in early 2015 at an estimated cost of $5995, Autodesk’s Ember 3D Printer is almost ready to be launched into design studios, workshops, schools and other facilities who are looking to be involved with the software giant’s Spark open platform for 3D printing…”
POMCH Brings the Vacuum Forming Aesthetic to Fashion
“Inspired by the aesthetic of vacuum-formed everyday products, Felix Tai and Jeffrey Leung’s POMCH is one of the more interesting applications of vacuum forming we’ve seen…and is one that a generation of ‘makers’ will almost certainly respond to positively. Having started as an experiment in school, the concept has since launched itself into its own brand and online store…”
Behind the Design: Anton Alvarez’s Thread Wrapping Machine
“With a focus on the design of systems and the creation of tools and processes for producing products, Swedish-Chilean designer Anton Alvarez has had his work exhibited internationally at establishments including the Design Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London…”
The Desolenator Uses Solar Power to Turn Salt Water into Drinking Water
“Dubai has it, Sydney has it and San Diego is getting it soon. What do these three very diverse cities in very different parts of the world have in common?..”
Upcycling Used Coca-Cola Cans into Usable Aluminum
“When it comes to YouTube stars who want to bless the world with their obscure (but usable!) knowledge, Grant Thompson (AKA The King of Random) ranks up there among the best of them…”
