I figured out how to use the vinyl cutting in the HackBerry Lab. As you can see in the photos below, I made custom stickers of the Berry Farm's Season's Harvest Logo to put on water bottles as gifts for the graduating seniors. Although I found the stickers challenging to put on perfectly because of the bidirectional curve of the water bottle, I...

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The board game Carcassonne has been a favorite at my house for quite a while now. So with access to the laser engraver and a 3D printer, I decided to make a customized version. The game consists of wood tiles with different combinations of castles, roads, fields, rivers, and cloisters (monasteries). The board as built as you go, with each player picking up...

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For my final project, I am making essentially a mini hydro electric dam that can be used to generate light in tropical, third world environments without access or funding for traditional electricity. Click through the presentation below to learn more- you may need to make it "full screen" to be able to read it well. ...

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Some of my friends mentioned this project at dinner last night, and I think that it is really neat! Chloe Rutzerveld is a "freelance food & concept designer" who developed the project she calls "Edible Growth," which are 3D-printed snacks containing seeds, spores, and yeast that sprout over several days before reaching their final state. Apparently, the flavor grows along with the organisms,...

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For some time, I've been wanting to make a trailer for my bike to be able to carry groceries and other things in to and from my house. Since I work in the welding shop, I thought this would be a perfect intermediate project for me to (as Dr. Grout says) "practice finishing a project" before the final project. While I was researching...

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So my good friend Jenna Sellers (soon to be Cleveland) is getting married next weekend and I wanted to make her a customized gift that she and Andrew would enjoy having. So I designed this image with their new last name, their wedding date, a Bible verse that is meaningful to them, and a picture of the mountains of Guyana (where Jenna has...

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So we had fun last week at the Makerspace playing around with the laser engraver and seeing what it would do with a photo of a face. This is pretty tricky, because all of the colors that add detail and dimension to faces have to be converted into a dichromatic image. We tried this photo of our little brother, David, and I am...

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In class this week, we have been learning how to use Arduino, which is a simple physical computing software. We worked in groups of 4 to play around in importing the code using an "intro to Arduino" guide and kit. During class time, we were able to get a small DC motor running, an LCD screen that said "hello, world," different variations of...

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This week, my homework assignment was to make a 3d File using CAD Software and print it. I tried using the 123d Design App for iPad, which is a free software that can be downloaded in the iTunes store. Honestly, I had a really challenging time both figuring out the software and getting my file to print. I decided to try to make...

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We learned how to use a Full Spectrum Laser to cut and engrave wood this week, and our homework was to try something out. I spent some time in the Makerspace this evening attempting to print some crocheting needles, so I had a go on the machine. I was very pleased with both of my trials and am very excited to use the...

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I found a few different websites this weekend that talk about the phenomenon of ceramic printing- using a 3D printer to extrude clay and make art pieces that would be impossible to make on a traditional pottery wheel because of their angles and texture. The printer extrudes layers of clay in some cases so thin that the result resembles the consistency and look...

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For my first 3D printing assignment ("print something!"), I decided to print parts for a hydroponics system designed by an organization called 3Dponics. Hydroponics is a form of gardening that grows plants by providing them nutrients through water rather than soil. Gravel is typically used in the containers to give the plant's roots structure. Hydroponics systems expand the possibilities of growing food in...

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http://gravitylight.org/frequently-asked-questions/#Q1 Researchers have developed a new product, set to go out on the market this year that uses gravity to generate light. It holds the potential to improve the health of indivdual said around the globe who depend on kerosene for light, reduce emissions, and eliminate the need for batteries or even sunlight to get energy. Check out the video below for a...

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http://www.csail.mit.edu/csailspotlights/feature2 Check out the link above to read more about how researchers at MIT are using robots for farming.  (Also seen on Makezine.com at http://makezine.com/2009/03/20/robotic-gardeners-at-mit/)  ...

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