Gyroscopically stabilized car/motorcycle thing

lit-motors-c-1

So yeah, this thing exists. Well, at least some pretty interesting looking prototypes of it do. It's the C-1 from Lit Motors (anyone else think that's a reference which belongs in /r/trees?). The idea here is that the small form-factor of a motorcycle is very efficient and easily maneuverable. But the cage protecting the passenger from harm, and the canopy keeping the elements out give it some of … [Read more...]

There’s more than meets the eye to this robot car

rc-autorobot-video

This is a robot that any Transformers enthusiast will love. Sure, the car looks just a bit boxy, but you'll forget all about that when you see it unfold into a bipedal robot (translated). [Zak Sawa] is responsible for the creation. He pull off the build using 22 servo motors which let the car transform, and provide the somewhat awkward ability to walk. Fold it back up again and the car can drive … [Read more...]

RC car controller and receiver replacement

replacing-the control-cirtuitry-on-an-rc-car

This radio controlled car controller replacement is a great project to try some new things with that fancy hardware you've got sitting around. The hack comes in two parts, the receiver and the transmitter. They're communicating via Bluetooth so if you only want to build one side of the hardware you should be able to make most Bluetooth devices work as the other. For instance, build the receiver … [Read more...]

Racing with Dyson’s spare parts

dyson-racer

When it comes time to unwind at the Dyson design facility these engineers know how to do it right. Recently, the company challenged their engineers to a grown-up version of the Pinewood Derby in which they raced their own cars powered by a Dyson motor. The video after the breaks shows a large collection of these time trials on a track made from upturned wooden pallets. Most of the vehicles are … [Read more...]

Over engineering windshield wipers to sync to music

Achievement

In the late 90s, Volkswagen aired a series of awesome television advertisements that won a few awards relevant to those in advertising circles. One of these ads was titled Synchronicity and showed a VW Jetta's windshield wipers (among other things) syncing to music as the car drove down a rainy alley. [ch00f] thought beat tracking wipers would make for a great project, and we love the sheer … [Read more...]

Relighting a gauge cluster

gauge

When a few lights in the dashboard of  [Garrett]'s truck burned out, he was looking at a hefty repair bill. The repair shop would have to replace the huge PCB to change a few soldered light bulbs, so he was looking at a $500 repair bill. Lighting up a LED is everyone's first project, so [Garrett] decided to change out the bulbs with LEDs and save a few dollars. The repair was very simple - … [Read more...]

SMS remote start gives new life to your old smartphone

iphone-sms-remote-start

Hack a Day alum [Will O’Brien] recently upgraded his phone, and was trying to find a use for his old one. He always wanted a remote starter for his Subaru Outback, but wasn’t interested in paying for an off the shelf kit. Since he had this old smartphone kicking around, he thought that it would be the perfect starting point for an SMS-triggered remote start system. He started off by … [Read more...]