Technabob » miniature

Miniature Fully-functional V12 Engine: for Truly Compact Cars

Conner Flynn — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:05:35 +0000

Normally you can find a V12 in the back of a Lamborghini or an Aston Martin, but you’ve never seen one this small. This is the world’s smallest V12 engine and it actually works just like the full-size versions.

It was created by Spanish engineer Patelo and took 1,200 hours to create out of aluminum, bronze and stainless steel. The detail is amazing. It’s really a work of art. The pistons measure 11.3 mm in diameter with a total displacement of 12 cubic centimeters. It powers up with compressed air injected at 0.1kg/sq cm.

In all there, it’s constructed from a total of 261 handcrafted pieces and 222 tiny screws. Now if we only had a tiny car to put this in we could have some miniature races. Watch it do its thing near the 8 minute mark.

[via New Launches]

This Insect Spies All: Miniature Surveillance Drones

Hazel Chua — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:30:34 +0000

Ah, insect drones. They’ve been used so much in movies and televisions shows that it was bound to become a reality someday. I remember this particular scene in that old Richie Rich movie (the one where Macaulay Culkin played Richie), when Professor Kean Bean was showing off his latest invention to Richie: a gold flying bug that was equipped with a camera.

So remember when I said that such inventions would soon make their way in real life? Well, ladies and gentlemen, that time is now. The researchers at the Micro-Aviary at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base have been hard at work at fitting walls with super-sensitive motion capture sensors that will be able to track the position of a helicopter or small plane “within about a tenth of an inch.” Talk about precise.

The information from the sensors are then used to create ”very, very small flapping-wing vehicles,” says Greg Parker, who’s a part of the research team.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

There have been no officially released images or photos of the insect drones, although I doubt the military will be making them available anytime soon as they’re bound to be classified stuff.

[via Oh Gizmo!]

Honey, I Shrunk The Roland TR-808! Just Kidding, It’s a Flash Drive

Hazel Chua — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:12:06 +0000

Music lovers and enthusiasts will remember the Roland TR-808, that was actually one of the first programmable drum machines ever made.

It was introduced in the early 1980s, which actually makes it several years older than I am. And while this Roland TR-808 Flash Drive can’t really help you lay down some beats, it sure looks a lot like the real thing.

Since it’s a USB drive, you can expect it to be really small in size, but that doesn’t make it lacking in detail whatsoever, no sirree.

Skeptical? Then check out the photo below of a real Roland TR-808 and compare it to the photos of the flash drive above and get ready to be pleasantly impressed:

Now, do you agree?

The Roland TR-808 Flash Drive is available from Alkota Beats and is priced at $39.99 (USD). It’s a bit pricier than other 8GB flash drives, but hey, none of those actually look like the Roland TR-808 so that sort of makes it worth it, right? Right.

[via Engadget via Slippery Brick]

Chobi Cam One HD: Prosumer Camera for Gnomes?

Lambert Varias — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:33:18 +0000

I know, I can’t believe it either. The diminutive Chobi cameras are transforming from expensive toys into… I don’t know, a line of functional collectibles? Tiny photographers looking for something more high-tech than the Chobi Cam One now have an alternative – the Chobi Cam One HD.

Unlike its predecessor, which can only take pictures at 1600 x 1200 and videos at 640 x 480, this upgraded version snaps photos at 3264 x 2448 resolution and records 1280 x 720 videos at 30fps. The trade off? An increase in size… by about 0.1 to 0.3 inches on each side. Whip out a magnifying glass and inspect the two Chobi Cam Ones side-by-side:

The Chobi Cam One HD even offers add-on zoom, wide-angle and fish-eye lenses. The tiny camera has a microSDHC slot that supports cards up to 32GB in storage, and can transfer data over USB. Its battery can be fully charged in an hour, after which it’s good for about 25 minutes of shooting videos.

Here’s a more jarring comparison of the Chobi Cam One HD. I know DSLRs are chunky, but it’s a building next to this bugger.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The Chobi Cam One HD sells for appx. $185 (USD) at GeekStuff4U. Unfortunately the accessory lenses are not bundled even at that steep price; you can get those from JTT Online for about $30-$60 each.

The Clone Factory: Make Your Own Mini-Me

Range — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:17:36 +0000

I have trouble understanding why anyone would want a fake 3D clone of themselves, but hey, who really understands the Japanese? One shop in Tokyo, Japan, has decided to offer realistic replicas of people to discerning customers. Perfect when you want to start the bejeezus out of someone.

The Clone Factory takes your 3D image, translates it into code, and then produces this spooky doll head for you. It’s then attached onto one of a variety of dolls.

The process is pretty straightforward, thanks to a 3D image scanner and a 3D printer, but its results are strange and eerie.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

In the end, you’ll end up paying about $1,800 (USD) for your ‘clone’. Apparently, these dolls are most frequently used for (creepy) weddings. Hopefully, all of these clones won’t start working together and start their own Clone Wars (heh!).

I wonder if these dolls will ever become popular in the U.S.

[DannyChoo via DVice]

Powershovel CLAP Digital Camera: Mini-malistic

Lambert Varias — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:15:03 +0000

Japanese design studio Powershovel has come up with a camera worthy of challenging the CHOBi mini cam for the title of World’s Most Easily Lost Camera. The CLAP digital camera measures a mere 1.4″ x 2.8 x 0.59″ and weighs only 24g. I also prefer its simple design over the CHOBi’s chunky dSLR look.

The CLAP has a 2-megapixel F2.8 (3.2mm) lens. It can shoot images at 1280 x 1024 resolution, saving them as JPEG files, and video at 720 x 480, which are saved as AVI files. As you can see it has a built-in USB 2.0 connector that is used both to export files as well as recharge the camera’s internal Li-ion battery. It also has a microSD slot (supports up to 16GB) for saving stills and videos on the go. No, it doesn’t have a viewfinder, but even if it had one it wouldn’t be of much use anyway.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The CLAP digital camera is available on Amazon in six different colors for $49.95 (USD) each. If you’re going to get one I strongly recommend that you get hold of a 1mm piece of string, rope or cord and make use of the camera’s strap hole.

[via Superheadz & SlamXHype]

Retro Heart Handcrafts Tiny Arcade Games With a Big Heart

Technabob — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 03:14:42 +0000

If you’ve ever wanted to fill a room in your house with classic arcade games, but didn’t have the space (or the cash), here’s the next best thing. These tiny arcade games and pinball machines take up way less space, and cost way less than the real deal.

Made over in the UK by Steven C. Gauntley of Retro Heart, these miniature machines are each handcrafted from wood with custom vinyl graphics, and sheets of acetate for the “glass” tops of the pinball tables and fronts for some of the video games. In all, he’s made over 100 different machines, and continues to add to the collection. Check out a bunch of my favorites in the gallery below:

I was always a pushover for Paperboy and Burgertime, but I have to say that the pinball tables are really great too – gotta love The Simpsons. Each machine is built in a limited-edition, at 1/12th scale. To put that in perspective, both the pinball machines and arcade cabinets stand about 6 inches tall. It’s just too bad you can’t actually play any of these. But then again, my fingers aren’t that small.

The arcade cabinets sell for £14.99 to £19.99 (~$24 to $32 USD) each, and the pinball machines go for £24.99 (~$40 USD) a piece, while the extremely special Star Wars cockpit sells for £39.99 (~$65 USD). Steven also offers a substantial discount for orders of 10 arcade cabinets or 5 pinball machines. Plus, if you’re looking for that special machine you just couldn’t get enough of, Steve will do custom orders too. Ready to build out your miniature dream arcade? Just head on over to Retro Heart and get started.

Mini Guns Have Incredible Detail, Tiny Bullets Not Included

Shane McGlaun — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 21:41:07 +0000

When was a kid, my brother and I were always collecting little mini cap guns. You could put a single cap in them at a time and they would actually shoot. A Russian man has been making mini guns for decades that remind me of those cap guns from my youth. The difference is these little guns are so accurate they would actually fire a real bullet if there were bullets so small.

The detail in these little guns is very impressive. They look exactly like the real thing. The crazy thing about them to me is that the man built these tiny weapons from schematics and descriptions of the real guns. Some of these were built as far back as 1970 without the aid of modern tools.

Over the years, Alexander Perfiliev has created 50 different gun models and still has them. A single rifle took him a full year to make and most are made from steel. Some used whatever materials he had nearby though. I like the AK and the big machine gun with the bi-pod myself.

[via Lesnyanskiy (RU) via English Russia]

Who Are You? What is That? What’s That? Oooh, Portal 2 Personality Cores!

Lambert Varias — Thu, 19 May 2011 12:10:39 +0000

With the foundation set by the original game, Portal 2 entertains fans not just by providing them with more puzzles to solve, but also by building on its mythos, and that involves fleshing out characters and creating new and memorable ones. Valve clearly spent a lot of time making sure that these characters are endearing, but for some reason they refuse to cash in on these characters. Until then, we’ll have to be content with fan-made creations, like these miniature Personality Cores made by Chris Myles.

Myles made “fully functional” versions of the Intelligence Dampening Core aka Wheatley, the Adventure Core aka Rick, the Space Core and the Fact Core. But don’t get your hopes up – none of these Cores speak, much less retain their quirks and personalities. But they do have movable parts and LED eyes.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Unfortunately, Myles says he won’t be making more nor will he sell these Cores, the latter for obvious reasons. Check out his Flickr page for more pictures of the Cores and his other geeky creations, including this Hello Kitty Core that may or may not infuriate Portal fans. Come on Valve, merch like this will sell like TF2 hats. Throw your fans a bone and earn yourself billions in the process.

[via Joystiq]

Tiny Skee Ball Machine Doles Out Tickets You Can’t Redeem for Anything Good

Technabob — Tue, 17 May 2011 02:11:26 +0000

If you’ve ever spent any time at a carnival, a Dave & Busters or a Chuck E. Cheese’s you know all about the wonder that is the Skee-Ball machine. Tiny arcade builder Sam Seide decided to take the idea and make a miniature version.

The tiny Skee-Ball machine looks just like the arcade original, only smaller. It measures just 22″ (h) x 16″(w) x 30″ (l) and weighs 25 pounds. It’s even got tiny little wooden balls for you to shoot into those elusive cups. The cabinet is built from MDF, steel, PVC, and Plexiglas. Under the hood of Sam’s build is an Arduino controller, responsible for calculating scores, playing sound effects, and spitting out tickets for winners.

See it in action in the video clip below:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Best thing about this build is that you can own it. It’s currently up for auction over on eBay with a starting bid of $500 (USD) and a Buy-it-Now price of $1200. Check out Sam’s complete build log in video form over on YouTube.

[via Make:]

Tiny Donkey Kong Arcade Cabinet Even Plays Pac-Man

Technabob — Sat, 07 May 2011 01:40:43 +0000

I’ve written about some tiny arcade cabinets before – even a Donkey Kong machine, but never one that was this accurate – and that actually plays. All it needs are tiny Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell dolls to go with it and it would be perfect.

A modder going by the name of Bender (who didn’t tell us to bite his shiny metal ass for once) created this 8.25″ tall Donkey Kong cabinet. Not only is it a perfect 1/8th scale replica of the original, it’s fully playable.

Okay, the joystick and buttons are disproportionately large, but you wouldn’t be able to play it if he made those to scale. Under the hood of this tiny marvel is a sliced and maimed GamePark GP2X Wiz, loaded with MAME. That means Bender could actually play just about any arcade game he wants on this thing too. I dare him to play Donkey Kong, Jr. on it. That’ll show ‘em!

Check out the world’s smallest working Donkey Kong machine in the video clips below (and yes, he does play other classic arcade games on it too), as well as a bunch of detail on how Bender ~~bent~~ built it.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Thankfully, the machine doesn’t require tiny little quarters to play.

[BYO Arcade Controls via Engadget]

Watch Part Motorcycles Don’t Ride or Tell Time, But Still Look Cool

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:27:58 +0000

The thing that always gets my attention the most when I write about a new watch is all the little gears and components inside that work together to make the watch work and tell time accurately. I guess Dmitriy Khristenko (aka dkart71) feels the same way. While I like the way the parts work together inside the watch, he likes to rip the watch apart and use those little gears and parts for designing other things.

This guy takes all sorts of parts from various watches and uses them to make mini motorcycle statues. The little statues are amazingly complex and every part is made from something on the inside or on the outside of a watch. If you look at the image, you can see that he does fine work.

I see prolific use of watchbands for tires, a watch face for a gas can, a pocket watch back for a rear wheel and lots more details. I really like the engine being made from the insides of the watch, and the watch face crystal that doubles as a windscreen.

Check Dmitriy’s complete watch motorcycle gallery over on Deviantart.

Playstation Gashopon Collection: Is That a Tiny PS One in Your Pocket?

Technabob — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 02:46:57 +0000

If you’re looking to fill out your dollhouse with geeky accoutrements, you might want to grab some of these Japanese toys, which are basically really tiny versions of the original Sony PlayStation line.

Takara Tomy’s SR Series PlayStation History Collection 1 includes miniature plastic versions of four PlayStation models. Designed to be sold in Gashopon vending machines in Japan, this set includes not only the consoles themselves, but mini versions of games, memory cards, joysticks and more.

The lids on the CD-ROM trays even open, and the controllers actually plug in too. About the only thing these miniatures don’t do is play games. The set of four includes:

SCPH-1000 with I.Q. game, memory card, and original joypad
SCPH-7000 with Minna no Golf, memory card, Dual Shock
SCPH-9000 with Ape Escape and PocketStation (SCPH-4000C)
SCPH-101 with LCD monitor accessory, Dual Shock 2, and Dokodemo

You can pre-order the set over at NCSX for $29.90 (USD) for delivery this Summer. No word on when they’ll release PS2 or PS3 versions.

[Image Credit: Toy World HK, and a nod to Game Set Watch]

LED Yule Log Definitely Won’T Burn Down the House

Technabob — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 04:45:16 +0000

If you don’t want to go out of the way to buy a 3D TV and glasses so you can watch Comcast’s ridiculous 3D yule log channel, why not grab one of these tiny desktop fireplace simulators instead. It’ll cost you way less than a new TV, it requires no glasses, and is actually a 3-dimensional thing.

The “Fireplace Simulacra” is powered by a 9-volt battery, and produces a delightful warm glow from its orange LEDs. You might want to buy a bottle of Liquid Smoke and wave it underneath your nose when you power it on to complete the illusion.

Here’s a quick video showing off the LED Yule Log in all its wintry glory:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can grab one over at the MakerSHED for just $15.99 (USD),

Chobi Cam Mini Camera is So Small You’Ll Probably Lose It the Day You Buy It

Technabob — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 20:04:07 +0000

You’d better hold on tight to this miniature digital camera that measures in at just about 1.73″ (w) x 1.14″ (h) x 0.47″ (d) and weighs only 14 grams. In other words, this thing is smaller than a box of matches.

The CHOBi mini camera can shoot images at 2048×1536 resolution (appx. 3-megapixels), and can capture video at 1280×960 resolution at 30fps. Images are stored on a microSDHC card (8GB max). Of course, you can’t actually see what you’re shooting through that microscopic viewfinder, so your cinematographical efforts will definitely be a crapshoot.

You can get the CHOBi mini cam over at GeekStuff4U for about $150 (USD). Unfortunately, their site is having problems at the moment, perhaps they lost their tiny web server between the couch cushions.

[via Ubergizmo]

LEGO Technic Bugatti Veyron Can Actually Drive, has Real Working Transmission

Range — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:06:31 +0000

Although there aren’t many people who can afford the world’s most expensive car, the Bugatti Veyron, there are probably quite a few people who can buy a few LEGO Technic kits in order to build a smaller Veyron – assuming they had the LEGO-building skills.

This build is by Spanish LEGO-maniac Sheepo, and it looks like it sports all of the classic lines of the original, plus a few extra surprises under its tiny hood.

Sheepo’s Veyron is 1:8th scale of the real car. It also has a fully functional seven-speed gearbox, retracting spoiler, independent suspension and more features that make the Veyron a unique car.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The page that he created for this build has a bunch of photos, videos and more details about this incredible miniature Veyron.

[via Brothers Brick]

Ah, Look at All the USB People…

Technabob — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:43:44 +0000

Are you addicted to making your avatars and Miis that look like tiny doppelgänger of yourself? Then you might want to check out these cool USB minifig people that can be ordered to your own custom design specifications.

The guys over at AdvancedUSB can make customized USB people in a wide variety of colors, facial expressions, storage sizes, and even with custom graphics on their tiny USB clothing. Me, I want a mini-me with a Technabob mascot on it. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure you can’t order single drives, but if you want to build an entire USB army of yourself, you certainly could.

To inquire about your own custom USB people hit up AdvancedUSB’s sales department.

Tiny USB Foods Look Cute, but I’M Still Hungry

Technabob — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:14:07 +0000

If you’re in the mood for some tasty treats, you’ll probably need to eat more than these USB flash drives, masquerading as tiny little portions of food.

These Mini Plus flash drives are available in a variety of styles, ranging from a relatively nutritious portion of sushi to a plate with one jelly, one glazed, and one chocolate-frosted with sprinkles. Mmmm, tiny USB donuts. Each drive is precisely hand-assembled and painted to look just like its real world edible inspiration, only smaller.

As yummy as these miniature foods may look, you’ll have to stay hungry unless you happen to live in Korea, where you can find these over at the Early Adopter Shop.

Tiny Robot Insects Charm Their Way Into Our Lives

Technabob — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:23:47 +0000

No, these bug-eyed critters aren’t going to bite. On the contrary – these insect-inspired mini robots are actually quite harmless.

In between farming blueberry crops, Adam Claflin of MiddleCreekMerchants makes the little Wigglebot robots (shown above) from a few bent wires for legs, a coin battery for a body, and a pair of colorful LEDs for eyes. Add to the mix a tiny little motor for a head, and the little creatures can vibrate their way across your desktop.

Adam makes a variety of unique bug-like robots, including these tiny wonders that you can control with an ordinary television remote control.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

But the pièce de résistance has to be this awesome robo-caterpillar, which squirms around the floor using six interconnected motor segments for a body.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The basic Wigglebot sell for just $10 bucks a piece, while the IR bot is a quite a bit more involved, selling for $75 each. And the crazy robotic caterpillar will set you back a hefty $175 – but it is oh, so cool.

Adam’s buggy little robots can be found over MiddleCreekMetchant’s shops over at the Makers Market or on Etsy. Bugspray not included.

Tinysaur: Dinosaurs Get Really, Really Small

Technabob — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:58:42 +0000

This has got to be the coolest thing I’ve seen this week. These incredibly small dinosaur kits let you build a miniature museum of natural history on your desktop.

Artist Kelly Farrell’s Tinysaurs are incredibly weensy kits which let you build your own mini-dinos.

Each one is laser cut out of oak tag board using a 35 watt cutting laser, and pre-perfed for (relatively) easy assembly – assuming you’ve got some really steady hands.

Assembly of Tinysaurs requires tweezers, some white glue, and some patience. But once built, these miniaturesauruses are truly a sight to behold – especially if you have a magnifying glass lying around.

The T-Rex, triceraptops, stegosaurus and woolly mammoth kits are all available over at Kelly’s Etsy shop, the Maker’s Market, or Everything Tiny and cost just $7 (USD) unassembled, and $16 with a pair of tweezers and glue in a handy gift tin.

If you don’t have the patience to build these miniature marvels for yourself, you can also buy a pre-assembled dino under glass for about $60 bucks – but where’s the fun in that?