This week, autonomous robots, tweeting birdhouses, steampunk iPhone speakers, and more!
1. Human-Like Autonomous Robot Made From Recycled Parts for Under $500
Talk about a garage project worth bragging about. Salvius is six feet tall, 164 lbs, and runs on Ubuntu.
2. DIY Solar-Powered Bird House Tweets When Birds Arrive
Here is one recipe from B-Squares that any TreeHugger could love: a solar-powered bird house that tweets when a bird enters the house.
3. Build an Ultra-Efficient DIY Wood Stove for Backpacking
We've featured DIY wood gasifiers before, but this how-to video―created by survival and outdoors expert Paul Osborn of BCoutdoorsurvival―for building a miniature stove for backpacking purposes is about as good as DIY make-our-own videos get.
4. DIY Steampunk-Style iPhoneograph for iPhones or iPads Has Amazing Sound
What we really love about it is that it is built from a whole bunch of scrap parts, yet it looks like a vintage phoneograph... well, with a modern iPad stuck on top.
5. Computer Monitors Transformed Into Community Trash Bins
J Edson Azevedo has come up with a cool reuse of old monitor shells. Whether it's a TV or a CRT monitor, the plastic shell can be repurposed as a waste bin for public places, creating a new meaning for e-waste.
6. Plants on Green Roofs Help Solar Panels Keep Cool
Integrating a rooftop PV system with a green building technique designed to keep roofs cool and manage stormwater also keeps solar panels cool and running more efficiently.
7. Tascam's Solar-Rechargeable Tuner Should Be Standard Issue in Every Gig Bag
A seasoned player can tune up his or her ax by ear, but for the rest of us an electronic tuner is the best bet. I've been through a few models in my 20+ years of noodling, and Tascam's TC-1S solar-rechargeable tuner is the best I've owned by far.
8. Gamers Beat Computers In Designing Proteins for Scientific Research
A new online game called Foldit has gamers trying out their hand at a complex puzzle: how to fold proteins. It's more addictive than you think.
9. Sleek Portable Water Condenser Draws Drinking Water out of Humid Air
This portable water condenser is made to condense the moisture from humid climates into drinkable water as the day progresses, in contrast to other similar but bulkier devices already available on the market.
10. This E-Waste Infographic Raises More Questions than It Answers
How much e-waste is there, anyway? How reliable is the available data? And why is it important to find out?