Colin Rich builds mini-spaceships out of styrofoam, foil, modified off-the-shelf cameras and weather balloons that carry them to the edge of space. For his third craft, the payload included sensors to measure radiation from Fukushima and pollution. It’s hipster NASA. More »
We gadget freaks obsess over gear, big and small: cameras, phones, notebooks, desktops, home theatre speakers, HDTVs and much more. But how often do we pay attention to the technology surrounding our gear, the packing material that keeps it safe? More »
There’s really nothing great that can be done with Styrofoam other than not produce it in the first place, but in lieu of recycling it or throwing it away, one man and his son, inspired by this artwork, took 5 years worth of Styrofoam packaging and did the next most logical thing—built a giant robot.
Styrofoam homes may sound like a recipient for disaster, but Japan Dome House Co., Ltd. thinks they’re the future. A future in which all of us will be hobbits or smurfs. Made with 7-inch-thick 100% expanded polystyrene foam modules, the company says that they don’t have the maintenance problems of wood or metal structures, and they are “highly resistant” to earthquakes, fires, and typhoons. Still, the 480 domes at Aso Farm Land resort village in Kyushu look like a suburban community on Mos Eisley’s outskirts or a world from Myst.
From what we’ve heard, a 22-foot robot can be a pain to keep. Sure, it sounds great at first–get carried everywhere, never wipe yourself again–but you never know when a robot will reach singularity and gut you in revenge for making it love like a real person.
You know that gigantic LEGO Indiana Jones boulder? Turns out that only the outside is LEGO. The inside (based on this photo) is made of styrofoam. We suppose that it would be way too cost-prohibitive to build the entire boulder out of LEGO, but that doesn’t make us any less disappointed. [Photo Credit - Thanks Mike!]
