Blog Posts

sexta-feira, 30 de março de 2012

Electrónica em Blocos, gasolina eléctrica, e Aço Plástico

Através da nossa amiga Catarina Mota, vem-nos esta Óptima ideia, LittleBits!



Ayah Bdeir: Building blocks that blink, beep and teach
TED Talks
Imagine a set of electronics as easy to play with as Legos. TED Fellow Ayah Bdeir introduces littleBits, a set of simple, interchangeable blocks that make programming as simple and important...




Porque os "carros eléctricos" são, sinceramente, uma anedota, e iriam arruinar as já sobrecarregadas e sobre-reguladas Redes Eléctricas, eis algo de REALMENTE positivo, um Combustível Líquido, a partir de Energia Solar, sem ter de roubar Alimento às populações, como o Bio-Etanol...


Researchers generate liquid fuel using electricity

By Darren Quick

While electric vehicles have come a long way in the past decade, they still have many disadvantages when compared to internal combustion engine-driven vehicles. The lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles have a much lower energy storage density when compared to liquid fuel, they take longer to “refuel,” and they lack the supporting infrastructure that has built up around conventional vehicles over the past century. Now researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a process that could allow liquid fuel to be produced using solar generated electricity.
Using only electricity for the energy input, the team was able to convert carbon dioxide into the liquid fuel isobutanol. They did this by genetically engineering a lithoautotrophic microorganism (one that utilizes inorganic compounds as energy sources) known as Ralstonia eutropha H16 to produce 3-methyl-1-butanol and isobutanol, a colorless, flammable liquid that holds potential as an alternative to gasoline in combustion engines. The microorganism was placed in an electro-bioreactor and used only carbon dioxide as the carbon source and electricity as the sole energy input.





Eis algo de fantástico, um Novo Material que pode substituír o Aço, 30% mais leve, e é um Material fácilmente moldável:


Polyurethane composite could replace steel or aluminum in some applications

By Ben Coxworth

A consortium of German research groups has created a new sandwich-type material that they claim offers strength similar to that of steel or aluminum, yet is significantly lighter and less expensive. It consists of a honeycomb-structured paper core, with glass fiber-reinforced layers of polyurethane on the outsides. To give an idea of how tough it is, it’s about to be tested on the diesel engine housing of a train.
The material is intended for a number of applications, but it was decided that the engine housing would be a good test. The housing will be located on the underside of the train, where it will be constantly subjected to track debris such as flying rocks. It must also contain engine fluids such as oil, to keep them from leaking into the environment, while additionally serving to contain the flames in the event of an engine fire – additives in the polyurethane ensure that it meets fire safety standards.





...E esta pequena maravilha, com muitas aplicações, mas dá um Brinquedo do caraças...



Collapsible “Buckliball” turns failure into functionality

By David Szondy

Taking inspiration from a toy, a team of researchers at MIT have developed a new engineering structure that is mechanically unstable, yet collapses in a way that is predictable and reversible. The structure, formed out of a single piece of rubber-like material, is fabricated so that it collapses in harmony to form a smaller structure that can then be expanded into the original shape. This structure opens up new potentials in everything from architecture to micro-medical applications.

When we think of structures, we tend to think of them as things that don’t fall down. If you had to come up with one common criterion for bridges, buildings, houses, stadiums, sheds and dog houses, it’s that once built, they should tend to stay upright and not come crashing down around people’s ears. If they do so, that is generally regarded as a failure, so engineers put a great deal of effort into keeping that from happening.

quinta-feira, 29 de março de 2012

Inquérito para a Open Hardware, e boas notícias

Criam Engenhocas que toda a gente pode fabricar?
Eis um Inquérito para vocês:

Open Hardware Community Survey

In an effort to better understand who we are as a community, as well as why and how we use/make open-source hardware, a few of us* created a survey. Please participate so that we can promote open-source hardware and serve you to the best of our abilities!
The survey will be up until April 15, and the aggregate results will be made publicly available in the form of a report consisting of graphics, percentages, and anonymized quotes. By publishing your (anonymous) responses, we hope to provide the public with insights into the practices and experiences of the people involved in open-source hardware.
Take the survey!
*Catarina Mota, David Mellis and John De Cristofaro




Uma boa notícia, a Fibra de Carbono do amanhã poderá vir... Dos sacos de plástico!



Tomorrow's carbon fiber could be made from plastic bags

By Ben Coxworth

Thanks to research currently being conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, our unwanted plastic bags may one day be recycled into carbon fiber. Not only that, but the properties of the fibers themselves could be fine-tuned, allowing different types of carbon fiber to be created for specific applications.

The Oak Ridge team, led by materials scientist Amit Naskar, start with polyethylene-base fibers – these could conceivably come from waste plastic sources, such as shopping bags and carpet backing scraps. Using a “a multi-component melt extrusion-based fiber spinning method,” the surface contours of these fibers can be customized, and their diameter can be manipulated with submicron precision. It is also possible to control their porosity.

Bundles of these fibers are dipped into a proprietary acid chemical bath. A process known as sulfonation causes the plastic molecules to bond with one another, transforming each bundle of fibers into one joined black fiber.





...E que tal ter todos os vossos pagamentos facilitados, por esta ideia apresentada por um Tuga?
Atenção, tem uma versão... GRÁTIS! 

 

Either you are a company selling online, a service provider with monthly fees, a club with recurrent payments or an association raising funds, with Easypay collecting payments just became easier and flexible.

With over 10 years of experience in electronic payments systems, Easypay staff had been part the first portuguese electronic payments CRM and member of the board at Visa SET - secure electronic transactions.

At Easypay we put all this expertise at your service on a unique platform which ables you:

Increase your sales by accepting new payment methods
Suitable for any type of payment, from an invoice to an online shop purchase and for direct debit. 
 
 http://www.linkedin.com/company/1001397?goback=.gde_3701_member_104028130

quarta-feira, 28 de março de 2012

Inteligência Lusófona

Em todo o Planeta, a Inteligência Lusófona brilha.
Eis um Crâneo Lusitano, e que lindo crâneo é, a Catarina Mota, com a sua Criação, o teclado de Papel...


Esta menina, tão fresquinha, e girinha, e tão esperta, já é parte do TED, isto não é para qualquer um!


TED Fellows » Meet the TED Fellows » TEDGlobal 2012 Fellows
Meet the newest class of TED Fellows! These 19 innovators will be joining the TED community in Edinburgh, UK for TEDGlobal 2012: Radical Openness

...
Catarina Mota  (Portugal) - Open-source advocate + researcher
Portuguese maker, open-source advocate and founder of openMaterials, a collaborative research project focused on open-source and DIY experimentation with smart materials. 
 ...

É bom!

terça-feira, 27 de março de 2012

A ElastomatiK aparece no Blog da Razorlabs

É sempre bom que apreciem o nosso trabalho, por isso, cá vai:



RazorLABber Showcase: ElastomatiK by Edgar Castelo 
March 26th, 2012 
We’d like to share a neat little video with you from Edgar Costelo, who documented the process of his ‘ElastomatiK’ project from receiving and unpacking his RazorLAB order, then through the assembly to the finished article by taking a series of photo’s along the way and putting them together to create a short film clip. We love to see what happens after we pack each project and send it off to it’s owner, so we were really pleased that Edgar had taken time to post the video.

domingo, 25 de março de 2012

Onde o Arduino e o Raspberry Pi se juntam, um Site impecável!

Estavámos todos nós ainda a pensar que seria porreiro se houvesse uma inter-ligação entre o Arduino, o RapberryPi, Automação, e Electrónica, e Zás, já existe!



A Empresa, por suas próprias palavras:

Making the "real world" digital.

We enable computers to talk to the objects around us. Anything that moves or requires power can be controlled, measured or interacted with.

...........Our OpenKontrol system is revolutionary:
..................• Built from the ground up with simplicity and the user in mind.
..................• Affordable, there are no costs, except for the hardware.
..................• Can grow to serve any purpose on any scale.
..................• Supports wired and wireless standards.
 http://www.ciseco.co.uk/content/

sábado, 24 de março de 2012

Fab Café!

Via o Facebook da Ponoko, via Springwise via FabCafe, eis um café onde se grava em Laser CNC!



Would you like vector engraving with your espresso?

Japan is the source of all that is weird, wacky and wonderful in integrating culture and technology. Since opening on the 7th of March, FabCafe in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo brings the world lattes with laser cutting!

quinta-feira, 22 de março de 2012

Coisas que fazem falta...

Há coisas que fazem falta!
...Como este genial Kit de adaptação entre 10 Jogos de Construcção, para se fazer de tudo!
Notícia trzida através da Ponoko:


The Free Universal Construction Kit
by fffffat
Ever wanted to connect your Legos and Tinkertoys together? Now you can — and much more. Announcing the Free Universal Construction Kit: a set of adapters for complete interoperability between 10 popular construction toys.




A Inovacril descobriu esta página com uma data de revestimentos metálicos, eis algo para as vossas Engenhocas, e também para revestir a Barraca das Engenhocas:








Voltando do mundo dos PCs Mortos, ou talvez não, já vi muito Vapourware, eis...
O Commodore Amiga!


Commodore USA unveils Amiga Mini, updated range

By James Holloway

Commodore USA has unveiled its first Amiga-branded personal computer. The Amiga mini borrows Mac Mini stylings but packs a hefty punch into the compact package. An updated range also accommodates the lower spec Commodore VIC mini. Updates to the VIC-Slim keyboard-PC and C64x complete the new range.
http://www.gizmag.com/commodore-amiga-mini/21913/

quarta-feira, 21 de março de 2012

Novas peças, ver mais, 60 terabites, e um novo Avião Supersónico

Traceparts dá-vos mais peças em 3D, para preverem tudo, no Computador, antes de encomendarem, ou fabricarem:

New catalogs for mechanical designers and engineers








Ver por detrás das paredes? O MIT quer fazer isso...


MIT researchers create camera that can see around corners

By Darren Quick

Fans of the classic 1982 science fiction movie Blade Runner will remember the ESPER machine that allows Deckard to zoom in and see around corners in a two-dimensional photograph. While such technology is still some way off, researchers in MIT’s Media Lab have developed a system using a femtosecond laser that can reproduce low-resolution 3D images of objects that lie outside a camera’s line of sight.
The experimental setup designed by the MIT researchers gained attention last December when video of it capturing a burst of light traveling through a plastic bottle was released. But as amazing as that capability is, it was for the even more amazing ability to literally see around corners that the team says the system was developed.




60 Terabites de Memória num Disco Rígido?
É bom!


Seagate demonstrates HAMR hard drive technology that promises 60 TB HDDs

By Darren Quick

Despite solid state drives increasing in capacity in recent years, the humble platter-based 3.5-inch hard drive still reigns supreme as the data storage device to beat in terms of bits for your buck. But if traditional drives are going to meet user’s ever-increasing data storage demands they will need to improve on the maximum 620 gigabits per square inch storage densities currently possible in platter based 3.5-inch drives. That’s just what Seagate has demonstrated with new technology that has achieved a milestone storage density of 1 terabit per square inch.

From the advent of hard drives in 1956, the magnetic surface of the hard drive platters was divided in sub-micrometer-sized regions called magnetic domains that were oriented horizontally and parallel to the disk surface in what was called longitudinal recording. But around 2005/2006, Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) was introduced, which changed the orientation to perpendicular to allow for closer magnetic domain spacing and increase data storage capacity.







Para ultrapassar a Barreira do Som, sem problemas, é preciso...
Um Biplano?



Futuristic biplane design eliminates sonic boom

By James Holloway

A throwback to early 20th Century aviation may hold the key to eliminating the sonic boom - at least according to researchers at MIT and Stanford University. Strongly reminiscent of biplanes still in use today, the researcher's concept supersonic aircraft introduces a second wing which it is claimed cancels the shockwaves generated by objects near or beyond the sound barrier.
In fact the idea is not a new one. The idea of a biplane to negate the sonic boom was proposed in the 1930s by aviation pioneer Adolf Busemann, also responsible for the idea of swept-wing aircraft.
Aircraft traveling at supersonic speeds cause shockwaves in the air around them. A first boom is caused by the rapid compression of air at the front of the plane, literally pushed together by the aircraft. A second is caused by the negative pressure left in the plane's wake - or rather, the rapid return to normal pressure that follows soon after. Though the two booms separate phenomena, they occur so close together that they they are usually perceived as a single sound. An aircraft in supersonic flight creates a continual boom as it goes.

terça-feira, 20 de março de 2012

RazorLabs com desconto, MIT com um Concurso, e Sculpteo 3D Printing Cloud Engine!

Os nossos amigos da Razoelabs estão a fazer mais um Desconto, 20% em todas as Encomendas, lembrem-se foi assim que eu mandei cortar a ElastomatiK lá:




Hello there RazorLABbers!
Today is the first day of spring, time to shake off those winter blues and get making!

It's nearly Easter time, the time to over indulge, and we thought we would spoil you with a treat of our own - 20% off all orders until midnight 9th April! Use this coupon code: ZLHESS to redeem your Easter treat and spend your holidays assembling your latest project. Spread the springtime joy and share with your friends!

For all the students out there, spring is also the time to start knuckling down and the hard work begins. We know it's a tough time and we want to help ease the pressure so we offer all students a 10% discount on their orders. To take advantage of the offer use coupon code: YCHPEO (expires 31/12/12). Share with your class mates, and if you're not a student yourself, perhaps you know someone who is? Son, Daughter, brother, sister, cousin, neighbour...



O MIT em Portugal tem de novo o Concurso "Buiding Global Innovators", para criar Inovadores a nível Global:


Building Global Innovators is back!

3rd Edition is open - submit your application here.
Deadline: 1st May
 
Here's a few numbers from our track record:
  • 80% of the promoters succed in launching a start-up
  • 69% raised funding, of which over 60% is from Venture Capital sources
  • 50% of the start-ups doubled their teams, creating 35 new jobs
3-step rule to preparing a winning submission:
  1. Read Rules & Regulations
  2. Get inspired by previous year's Award winners (1st Ed, 2nd Ed.)
  3. Then prepare and send us your submission
Beeing one of the 20 selected teams really depends on your effort
 http://mitportugal-iei.org/




E Retalhistas, eis uma maneira de personalizarem os vossos Produtos, através da Sculpteo:


So You Are Thinking About Integrating the Sculpteo 3D Printing Cloud Engine Into Your Store?

segunda-feira, 19 de março de 2012

domingo, 18 de março de 2012

Inventoras Britânicas, uma Câmera em placa cortada a Laser, 3D e Fundição

Estão de parabéns as Inventoras Britânicas, com esta Podcast, inscrevam-se para ver como é:


Mothers of Invention at The British Library 19 March 2012
Live streaming of the event
Can't get to the Mothers of Invention event at the British Library in London this Monday? Watch the live streamed event here and get inspired and informed by four ingenious women entrepreneurs who have built great businesses - Not on the High Street founder Sophie Cornish, The Authentic Food Company founder Kamal Basran, Rosie Wolfenden co-founder of Tatty Devine and retail branding expert Christina Richardson . . . keep reading

Obra da incansável Cally Robson, da qual me orgulho de ser minha amiga e Colega Inventora de qualidade.
Eis a sua Organização "She's Ingenoius", vão também ao Site:

Turn Your Innovative Idea Into A Profitable Business
Join our community of enterprising women and get resources and support to help you develop and take your new product and business ideas to market.
We're different from other women's business networks. She's Ingenious! gives you specialist information about how to research, develop, prototype, protect and sell new products and concepts, AS WELL AS a place meet like-minded ladies from all over the UK and beyond.
Unlike invention design and protection services which charge you thousands of pounds but leave you stranded, She's Ingenious! sets out honest tips and pointers so you can understand every step of the process and make the right business decisions for your idea.
Interested in joining us? We've made trial membership easy and, by running much of what we do online, we keep subscription costs low. Find out more about Membership Benefits or go to our Joining Page to view subscription options.





Voando para a Itália, através da mágica da Net, eis o Blog da Vectorealism, e um achado deles, uma Câmara Fotográfica toda ela feita em Placa cortada a Laser!


DIY Super Plastic Camera – Kit per il taglio laser!

Se state pensando a quale sarà il vero oggetto tormentone dell’estate, smettete di pensare e iniziate a produrlo.
Grazie a questo incredibile kit di Kit da Studio (o Kit da shit, che ci piace di più) potrete realizzare una macchina fotografica DIY usando plastica nera (o di qualunque altro colore) tagliata al laser con la Personal Factory. A soli 52€.
http://www.vectorealism.com/2011/07/diy-super-plastic-camera-kit-per-il-taglio-laser/



Eis 3D para o Mundo Real, a prova de que as malhores Invenções vêem de preencher necessidades reais, do dia-a-dia, e prestem atenção à maneira como eles derretem Plástico, em 0:25...




Serious Homemade Manufacturing Equipment on a Shoe String Budget

I'm a product designer, who believes in working backwards. Instead of taking technology and seeing what problems I can solve with it, I take problems and see what technology can do for the problem. If current technology doesn't solve the problem, then I am dedicated to developing and engineering what technology needs to be invented, so the solution becomes an extension of the user like an arm or hand.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Serious-Homemade-Manufacturing-Equipment-on-a-Shoe/



...E eis um Artesão multi-facetado, Fundição, Engenhocas, Máquinas a Vapor, etc. vejam este e outros Vídeos fantásticos no sue Blog, que é mais um Site:


myford blog

More of a website than a blog. Here you will find instructions to build the myfordboy E Z Stirling engine and will be able to obtain your FREE Plan set. There are also pages on Metal Casting where I can expand on some techniques shown on my Youtube Casting videos.

sexta-feira, 16 de março de 2012

Uma Start-up em Lisboa, e Músculos robóticos de ar comprimido

Do André Marquet, no Linkedin aparece-nos esta iniciativa:
 

Live your startup dream in Lisbon, Portugal.

Beta-experience will help you accelerate your business idea from May 25th until June 1st: interact with over 60 mentors and experts over one month of free office space in the center of the city of Lisbon. Sign up until March 31st to be called up:

Beta-Experience - Accelerate your startup in Lisbon, Portugal.







Talvez apareça lá alguém a montar um Robot com estes "músculos" de ar comprimido:

Soft Robots: Making Robot Air Muscles

Pneumatic robot air muscles can be easily made using Oogoo. These flexible silicone muscles have the advantage that they are inexpensive and can be easily molded to fit almost any robot body.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Soft-Robots-Making-Robot-Air-Muscles/

quinta-feira, 15 de março de 2012

Caixa RaspberryPi, 3D, e Som

Já podem ver como encaixa a caixa para o RaspberryPi...



Está à venda na Ponoko:

http://www.ponoko.com/design-your-own/products/raspbery-pi-case-7610



Um app porreiro da Sculpteo, Som transformado em Relevo, para uma caixa de Ipad!

Sound You Can Touch

No, you're not dreaming...

By now, you've probably heard murmurs of The Vibe, an iPhone case anyone can customize with your favorite sound from SoundCloud. After launching at SXSW this past weekend, we realized seeing is believing: so we made this dance-party worthy video to show you how the waveform magically turns into an iPhone case.




É um sem-fim de boas noticias!
Através da Ponoko, sabemos que podem montar a vossa Impressora 3D, por 700 Dólares, ou a vossa máquina de fresa CNC, por 300 Dólares, na sequência do projecto ShapeOko:


Introducing the ShapeOko 3D printer/CNC kit!

The $300 open hardware CNC machine is here. And it’s also a 3D printer!

Last summer, Edward Ford announced a Kickstarter campaign to support a project he had been coming back to for years: the most affordable desktop CNC machine ever, completely open hardware.
Edward’s project was over 700% funded, and he immediately set out improving his initial design. He also set up ShapeOko.com, and blogged about his progress along the way.
It’s been 8 months of late-nights in the garage, community feedback, sourcing woes, and huge support. And a few weeks ago the first batch of ShapeOko kits shipped out to his Kickstarter supporters.
ShapeOko looks a lot different these days than the previous laser-cut MDF machine holding a ballpoint pen. : )

It now features extruded aluminum rails from MakerSlide, custom laser-cut steel plates, and an 8″x8″ cutting area with a Z axis height of 3.5″

http://blog.ponoko.com/2012/03/15/introducing-the-shapeoko-3d-printercnc-kit/






E eis um Vídeo, de Fundição em Alumnio, com Molde para uma peça oca:

terça-feira, 13 de março de 2012

3D basta juntar àgua?

Mirabolante!
3d instantâneo, basta juntar àgua!



Flat polymer sheets bend themselves into 3D shapes - just add water

By Ben Coxworth

When the petal of a flower is being formed, its shape is achieved by cells in one area expanding more than cells in an adjacent area. This uneven expansion causes the material to buckle, creating the desired curves and creases. Scientists from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst have taken that same principle, and applied it to flat polymer gel sheets that fold themselves into three-dimensional shapes when exposed to water. Some day, such sheets could serve a number of useful purposes.

The researchers use a photolithography process, in which parts of each sheet are masked with a thin painted-on coating, followed by an exposure to ultraviolet light. The polymer that is masked from the UV light will uniformly expand like a sponge when exposed to water. In areas that aren't masked, however, the UV light causes the molecules within the polymer to become cross-linked. This means that the material in those areas will only experience limited expansion when water is added.




Ainda no campo do 3D, notícia que vem pelos nosso amigos da Ponoko, este método também promete, Estéreo-Litografia bem mais detalhada... E bem mais rápida!

 
...Vejam só este vídeo!




Nanoscale 3D printing

Is this the smallest race car you’ve ever seen?

Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology have a bit of a penchant for speed. And it’s not just the nanoscale 3D printed race car that gives it away… the team there have developed a mirror guided, laser equipped 3D printer that is officially faster than any that has come before.
…printing speed used to be measured in millimetres per second – our device can do five metres in one second.
Not only is it fast, it is also remarkably accurate. The printed structures are highly detailed, yet no bigger than a grain of sand. These results are achieved using a process called two-photon lithography – developed through the combined might of specialised molecular chemists working together with mechanical engineers.




Para descontraír, este Instructable, um Raio de Plasma Stempunk, mas atenção, isto é para ser feito com cuidadinho... Altas Voltagens!


Steampunked plasma-beam generator

Hi everybody

I just returned from my steam-powered-laboratory (Dampfkraftlabor, in german) to present you my latest invention:

The Steampunked plasma-beam generator:

To get an first impression please watch this short movie




E um robot para salvar vidas, nos barcos de guerra, e um dia, nos outros também, como sempre acontece, eventualmente...


SAFFiR robot could be putting out fires on Navy ships

By Ben Coxworth

If there's one thing that you don't want happening on board a ship, it's a fire. People on board burning ships can't simply run out onto the streets, as they hopefully could in the case of a structural fire, plus many people caught belowdecks don't have windows nearby to climb out of. Then, there's also the fact that crew members fighting such fires have to work in narrow, claustrophobic passageways, instead of wide-open roads. Given that fires are particularly possible on military ships, due to attacks by enemy forces, America's Naval Research Laboratory is now developing a special something to help fight fires at sea - it's called SAFFiR, the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot.

SAFFiR will be an autonomous bipedal humanoid robot, based on the CHARLI-L1 robot created at Virginia Tech - the school is a partner in the project, as is the University of Pennsylvania.

sábado, 10 de março de 2012

Raspbery Pi, e um Site bacano

A loucura do Raspbery Pi já me atacou, é um projecto fascinante, um PC que corre Linux, por 25 Euros:


Raspberry Pi

About us

If you want to find out what the Raspberry Pi is, head to our FAQ page.
The idea behind a tiny and cheap computer for kids came in 2006, when Eben Upton and his colleagues at the University of Cambridge’s Computer Laboratory, including Rob Mullins, Jack Lang and Alan Mycroft, became concerned about the year-on-year decline in the numbers and skills levels of the A Level students applying to read Computer Science in each academic year. From a situation in the 1990s where most of the kids applying were coming to interview as experienced hobbyist programmers, the landscape in the 2000s was very different; a typical applicant might only have done a little web design.
E vejam só este Vídeo duma dessas placas, feito em Sketchup...
Isto dá-nos a ideia de fazer o mesmo tipo de vídeos, para tudo o que queiram ilustrar, Protótipos, ideias, etc:





Como é usual nestes casos, uma coisa leva a outra, e eis este Site bacano, com uma quantidade de Ficheiros 3D Sketchup de PCs feitos e modificados à vontade do freguês, que é como dizer, Case modding:


This site is a repository for SketchUp components (3D models) related to the design of custom-build PCs. (a.k.a. Case Modding)
There is a thriving community at the bit-tech.net forums (amongst others) which enjoys this increasingly popular hobby.
 http://scc.jezmckean.com/home


Por isso, podem usar esta ideia para toda uma data de outras Colecções de Modelos 3D, Modelismo, ou Máquinas CNC, por exemplo!

sexta-feira, 9 de março de 2012

A colecção Popular Mechanics, na Google Books, material de qualidade!

Podem ter à vossa disposição, no Google Books, uma data de Planos bem úteis para a vossa Oficina, porque encontram lá a colecção da Popular Mechanics.

É só lá irem, e vejam, por exemplo, esta Prensa Hidráulica, que é bem superior a muita coisa que se vê por aí...

http://books.google.pt/books?id=ndgDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA200&hl=pt-PT&pg=PA200#v=twopage&q&f=false

quinta-feira, 8 de março de 2012

DevCad 2, e DevFus!

Depois do DevCad 1,
 Vem agora o DevCad2!
Uma data de coisas novas, neste programa onde podem aprender a mexer no CAD, e o mais é que vem também o DevFus, para as vossas Fuselagens, para Aeromodelismo!


É mesmo para isso, e tem tudo para desenharem a vossa Fuselagem,


E podem até ver o que está a ser criado, em 3D!


Por isso, vão lá, tem tanto versões para Aprendizagem, como Profissionais, e exporta para stl, etc, etc:


http://www.devcad.com/eng/default.htm


A pedido de várias famílias, como construír uma Prensa Hidràulica de 30 Toneladas de força(!), com Material à mão de semear:


Make a 30tonne hydraulic press. Squash anything!


This instructable will show you how to make a 30tonne hydraulic press. In my press i use some serious hardware, and the final press is going to end up weighing 86kg, which is 164lbs or 13.5 stone. I use M42 threaded rod which is 42mm wide and weighs a tonne. There is nothing to stop you using smaller hardware, I am told that M30 rod (which you can buy from RS for 10 quid will take 26 tonnes, so two of those would handle it fine.

However you build it, its a nice project, and the finished product is great fun to use.


...E não tem nada a ver, mas o outro também não tinha, como fazer um Briquedo para o Gato, com um Laser comprado numa loja de Animais:



CatBot: Automated Cat Laser

The CatBot is an autonomous laser toy for your cat. You may say "But Joe, isn't the laser pointer the best toy for the lazy cat owner?" I'd have to say no, the CatBot takes one step further.

Using two servos, an Arduino and a cheap $3 laser you can provide your cat with endless fun.


quarta-feira, 7 de março de 2012

Um Anel pá Patroa, um Cavalo Pixelizado, experimentem!

Querem brincar um pouco com a Impressão 3D, ou até, mandar imprimir um Anel para a vossa cara-metade?

Ora podem ir a este Workshop online, e experimentar, até fartar, e se acharem que vale a pena...
Mandem imprimir!



São, ao todo,  12 Apps, portanto...
Vão lá!

http://www.sculpteo.com/en/workshops/


Um deles, se não repararem, é um link para disporem do o vosso próprio programa de 3D, grátis:

 http://www.3dvia.com/products/3dvia-shape/

terça-feira, 6 de março de 2012

Melhor Design, mais barato... MakiBox!

Uma Impressora 3D que não abana como uma aranha maluca, é pequena, mas imprime um pequeno barrote, e é BARATA?
Isto promete...


MakiBox A6 aims to bring affordable 3D printing to the desktop

By Randolph Jonsson

Over the past few years, the price of desktop 3D printers has been falling thanks to devices such as the uPrint, MakerBot, Printrbot and Cubify ). But designer Jon Buford's thoughtfully-conceived MakiBox looks to be the least expensive yet. He and his team have now pre-sold enough of the device to make the move from prototype to market and the result looks rather promising. If all goes well, the US$300 printers (plus US$50 for global shipping) could be available for delivery as soon as the end of the month.

The 280 mm x 210 mm x 210 mm (11 x 8.27 x 8.27 in) self-contained MakiBox has a footprint about the size of a piece of standard letter paper, yet can build objects up to 150 mm x 110 mm x 110 mm (5.9 x 4.3 x 4.3 in) in size - about a quarter of the printer's overall volume. Replicator G, an open source 3D printing software application compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux, drives the printing process during which spooled 1 mm (0.04 in) diameter polylactide (PLA) plastic filament is melted and extruded in thin layers at 60-80 mm (2.36-3.15 in) per second.


http://www.gizmag.com/makibox-a6-3d-printer/21713/



Um Projecto novo e um Lançador de Projectos novo, Makibles:


http://www.makible.com/pages/upcoming



Sabiam que a Impressão 3D até serve para apoiar os espectaculáres filmes de Animação de Ian Whitlock?
Cortesia da Sculpteo:



The Pirates! 3D Printing Now Used for Animated Films

The Pirates! is the first animated film to embrace 3D printing on a large scale.
Characters of the new Sony Pictures movie have been partly created with 3D printing technologies. In order to make the Pirate Captain and his shipmates talk, artists of Aardman Animations 3D printed not less than 8000 mouths!
Key animator Ian Whitlock told Fox News that they build 257 separate mouths for the Pirate Captain and about 130 for the Charles Darwin model.
It was a real gain of time and allowed stronger animation styles to each face. Even if hand-molded plasticine is still used for most of the parts of the characters (the eyes for example), Aardman team was deeply impressed by the quality of 3D printing, mostly for creation and time purpose.

http://blog.sculpteo.com/2012/03/06/the-pirates-3d-printing-now-used-for-animated-films/





E uma Arma Secreta, com o respectivo Vídeo, serve para ajudar a apagar fogos e para medidas anti-motim:



Vortex gun blows rings of high-speed electrified gas – could have numerous applications

By Ben Coxworth

While something called a "vortex gun" might sound like a device from science fiction, the fact is that they have been available as novelties for years - if you've ever used a toy gun that shot out a smoke ring, then you've used a vortex gun. Lately, however, scientists from the Ohio-based Battelle R & D group have developed one that could have practical uses for people such as firefighters, exterminators and riot cops.

Vortex guns work by forcing air or another gas at a high velocity, down the inside of a cylinder. Friction along the inside of that cylinder wall slows down a thin layer of that flowing gas, causing it to roll forward on itself. By the time it exits the cylinder, it's formed into a self-contained donut shape, which it is able to maintain as it flies through the air - even when subjected to cross winds.

segunda-feira, 5 de março de 2012

Inventor-Maravilha!



Eis um Homem que contribui para a Sociedade, um Engenheiro Inventor que faz Brinquedos Científicos, para ensinar Ciência aos mais novos do Terceiro Mundo, a partir de sucata!



Indian inventor creates children's science toys from trash

By Ben Coxworth

Children in the First World have a lot of choice when it comes to scientific toys. In fact, there are whole stores devoted to selling things like robotics kits, ant farms, and simple microscopes. In the developing world, however, such fancy toys are relatively scarce. So, what's an adult to do if they want to get the local children interested in the sciences? Well, in the case of Arvind Gupta, they show the kids how to make scientific toys from trash.

Gupta's story began in the 70s, when he was an engineering student at the Indian Institute of Technology. While he was there, he volunteered to teach the children of the mess staff, who couldn't afford a formal education.
Upon graduation, he went on to work at Tata Motors, where he helped to build trucks. After five years of doing so, however, he decided that it wasn't the career for him. In 1978, he took a one-year leave from his job, and took part in the Hoshangabad Science Teaching Program. "The objective was to make science fun and exciting for village children using simple, low-cost materials available in their environment," he told us. "This experience had a profound impact on me. I thought it was much more satisfying than making trucks."



Continuando no campo das Ideias Meritórias, uma Engenhoca que detecta doenças, para locais remotos, dando resultados em pouco tempo!



Portable device instantly detects diseases

By Bridget Borgobello

Infectious diseases these days seem to have gotten a lot of attention, with media hype and threats of pandemics often being portrayed in apocalyptic sci-fi movies. We all know that several types of these diseases can spread rapidly, and it is crucial that doctors be able to identify them quickly in order to prevent an epidemic. Unfortunately, current testing methods can take hours and even days, delaying the process of adequate prevention. It should then ease your mind to hear that researchers at the University of Tennessee have invented a device that can rapidly detect these unwanted afflictions.





E agora, mais um momento de maravilha!
Levando a robótica para as Obras, um Robot que constrói e também modifica estruturas, numa armação estilo Andaime!




Constructor robot assembles and disassembles structures as it climbs

By James Holloway

Researchers at Cornell University have built a robot prototype capable of navigating a three dimensional truss structure, disassembling and reassembling the structure into new forms as it goes. The project hints at a possible future when buildings and robots may be designed in close harmony for autonomous buildings maintenance.

The robots are fitted with specialized 3D-printed bi-directional gears and joints tailored specifically to the structural components. They are hinged at the middle allowing them to flex through ninety degrees in order to navigate from vertical to horizontal rods and vice versa. They are also equipped with a rotational mechanism allowing them to twist around the pole as well as to unscrew rods from the structure itself.