Hackaday Links: August 27, 2017

Hulk Hands! Who remembers Hulk Hands? These were a toy originally released for the 2003 Hulk movie and were basically large foam clenched fists you could wear. Hulk Hands have been consistently been re-released for various Marvel films, but now there’s something better: it’s the stupidest tool ever. Two guys thought it would be fun and not dangerous at all to create cast iron Hulk Hands and use them as demolition and renovation equipment. This is being sold as a tool comparable to a sledgehammer or a wrecking bar.

New Pogs! We’re up to 0x0C. Is your collection complete?

[Peter] is building an airplane out of foam in his basement. He’s also doing it as a five or six-part series on his YouTube channel. Part two is now up. This update covers the tail surfaces, weighing and balancing the fuselage, and a general Q&A with YouTube comments.  Yes, [Peter] still has a GoFundMe up for a parachute, and it’s already about half funded. With any luck, he’ll have the $2600 for a parachute before he builds the rest of the plane. Another option is a ballistic parachute system — a parachute for the whole plane, like a Cirrus. That would be a bit more than $4000, so we’ll see how far the GoFundMe goes.

Hey, remember the Nvidia Jetson TX1? It’s a miniATX motherboard running a fast ARM core with a GPU housing 256 CUDA cores. It’s cool, and the new version — the TX2 — is designed for ‘machine learning at the edge’. They’re on sale now, for only $199.

Primitive Technology has another video out. This time, he’s improving his bow string blower into something that kinda, sorta resembles a modern forge. This time, the experiment was a success when it comes to pottery — he’s now able to fire clay at a much higher temperature, bringing him reasonably close to modern ceramics. At least, as close as you can get starting with the technology of a pointed stick. The experiment was marginally successful when it came to creating iron. He’s using iron-bearing bacteria (!) for his source of ore and was able to smelt millimeter-sized pellets of iron. This guy needs a source of copper or tin. Zinc is also surprisingly possible given his new found capabilities for ceramics.

10 thoughts on “Hackaday Links: August 27, 2017

    1. I would like to sit in on the meeting between them and the product liability underwriters for this hand hammer product. If that even happens.

      Somebody is going to try to punch through glass and shred their wrists or just wreck their hands trying to punch through something made out of solid metal with no give. There isn’t even any foam around your knuckles! Interesting concept but as an actual product intended to sell to the general public, this seems ill advised on multiple levels.

      Their official justification for not making a left hand version (“we will not product a left hand version”, yes that is how they spelled produce) is that people could use it as a weapon. Somehow the right hand version is different?

      1. I was thinking how hitting something hard and slender might turn out to be a great learning experience. Cast iron is brittle and if you hit, say, a large and properly hardened nail, or even a carbide tool bit or something, this tool has put your hand in harm’s way almost perfectly. For bonus points, the pin or tool might become stuck, pinning your hand inside of a otherwise fairly strong iron container, eliminating any chance of easy access for first aid and stopping the blood from filling your shoes.

      2. There shouldn’t *need* to be any padding for your knuckles, they’re not in contact with anything. You hold the internal handle and apply all the force with your palm, the same as if you were holding a normal hammer handle. If you’re hitting so hard your hand comes off and punches the inside of the fist you’re doing it wrong.

        Also, not having a left hand means you can’t just wear a pair of these and get your punch on.

    2. If you watch the video you’ll see that there’s a handhold in it that has some springiness to it and prevent it from destrying your hand. I’m not saying it’s safe or not a terrible product, but probably the people who buy it will smash some fruit and then leave it on a shelf forever.

  1. “Hey, remember the Nvidia Jetson TX1? It’s a miniATX motherboard running a fast ARM core with a GPU housing 256 CUDA cores. It’s cool, and the new version — the TX2 — is designed for ‘machine learning at the edge’. They’re on sale now, for only $199.”

    Wonderful. For $199 I can bring about the end of the world.*

    *Great, now I have dirty deeds done dirt cheap in my head.

  2. The metal fists look like an equipment upgrade from the usual “nails in board” for wealthy/spoiled/violent ANTIFA/BLM demonstrators. At least its not a range weapon. This product just bumped my priorities up a tick for an anti-mob 1-ton remote control robot to protect me and mine.

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