Need an electric outlet and don't have one? No batteries on hand, either? Well, then you should use the next best thing - potatoes! In this tutorial, learn how to make that old science fair staple - the potato powered calculator! Check it out, it really works! You Will Need: * ...more
In this video we manage to power a clock with nothing but two potatoes. In order to make this you will need two potatoes, a triple A battery powered clock, bare wire, galvanized nails, and leads, which you can find at radio shack. The clock is powered by the potato battery.
Vroom! Power a balsa wood vehicle from the energy of a mousetrap! Fun and easy project brought to you by Make Magazine!
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a toy car with CD wheels. The materials required for this task are: 2 thread spools, long piece of thing wood, 4 CD's, 2 screws, 2 washers and 2 bolts. Begin by drilling a hole in the spools and 2 holes in the wood. Then place ...more
This is the next phase of the University of Central Florida 2007 HPV Team's fairing construction. We will be using the "negative" tools we made the previous weekend to create parts that will resemble the plug we started with.
What is it about boys and toy cars? Speed, motors, and lots of fun! In this video, Kipkay shows us how to make a mini toy car launcher that is powered by rubber bands. Make sure an adult supervises this project, as power drills are required. Once it's completed, your kid will ...more
Check out this science video to see how to make a solar-powered miniature car. To make this solar-powered mini car, you'll need some balsa wood, a small motor, two steel rods, four wheels, four washers, a straw of any color, two gears, a solar cell, hot glue gun, a tape measur ...more
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a recycled potato container car. The materials required for this project are: a recycled potato chips, half of a skewer stick, 4 recycled plastic soda caps, glue and a sharp pencil. Users may also need paint, brush and string. ...more
In this video we are about to see how to optimize a nitro-powered RC car for the weather. First to tune a engine we have to know what all the factors that will affect the engine and know how our engine works. The tuning of the engine varies with the place we go in. The tuning ...more
Kipkay explains how to make a rocket powered matchbox by combining two matchbox toy cars. You need A10-PT model rockets and 32 gauge wire to connect the model rockets to the two cars.
Watch and learn how to make this awesome DIY toy car that runs off solar power. This makeshift mini-vehicle is made from a plastic bottle, small motor, tires, supports and a solar panel. See if you can replicate this interesting solar toy, or see if you can come up with a bett ...more
If a solar-powered air conditioner that requires no electricity or moving parts sounds to good to be true, well, then you're not as ambitious as this clever high school student. Instructables user Fozzy13 put together an awesome DIY tutorial on how he built his own air conditi ...more
A below elbow arm amputee demonstrates how to turn a car key with his body powered prosthetic hook. This adapted equipment video is helpful for handicapped, disabled or individuals whom have lost limbs due to amputation. He's using a prosthetic arm outfitted with a hook to sta ...more
Ooooo. Step back, Jack. This one has the taser ignition. Not only that, this dude give you desert decal instructions and ways to camo your potato gun. This potato gun tutorial is pure instruction, in two parts. Kudos. Watch this nifty weapon hack to learn how to build a potato ...more
The NERF Reactor isn't you're ordinary NERF gun. It launches a powerful blast of balls thanks to the pump and pull rapid fire action. The Reactor launcher blasts out tons of NERF Ballistic Balls everywhere! But sometimes, that's just never enough. Kipkay shows you how to take ...more
Changing a diesel fuel filter is just like changing oil or any other fluid in a vehicle. If you own a diesel powered car or truck, watch and see how to remove your old fuel filter, drain the diesel fuel and replace the filter with a new one. Now, be careful not to spill fuel e ...more
Watch this how to video and learn the process of making biodiesel fuel using inexpensive ingredients. Proceed with caution when making bio-diesel fuel. This process can be dangerous. You can use bio-diesel fuel in any modern diesel powered car.
Vintage plans for building motorbikes, lawnmowers, and old automobiles are fun to browse, but who actually builds them? Meet Bob Ferry, a 51-year-old machinist from Louisville, Kentucky. According to Inside Google Books, Ferry dug through Google's massive catalogue of 3 milli ...more
Using just a potato you can rainproof your car's windshield so the rain slides right off with no need to use your wipers.
Cobbled together from thousands of empty cigarette packs, this electric-powered vehicle puts the "car" in carcinogen. Looking suspiciously like something the China National Tobacco Corporation would commission as part of an advertising campaign, the Bugatti Veyron-style auto i ...more
We have seen it before (previous post: Human Powered Ferris Wheel), but it never gets any less amazing. Talk about resourcefulness. No need for electricity. Use humans to power your ferris wheel (if you had one sitting around... I wish I had one). Via Make, "At the Hindu Swas ...more
Another creation by Bang Goes the Theory, the "car-puccino" is a 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco powered solely by roasted coffee granules. Daily Mail reports, "The car will be driven the 210 miles between Manchester and London powered only by roasted coffee granules. It will go on ...more
R/C car manufacturer Losi just recently released the LOSI 1/10 TEN-T TRUGGY RTR, which is apparently the world's most advanced radio controlled car. The Ten-T is 18 inches long and 6.2 pounds, and operates like a real race car (but at 1/10 of the size). Check out these specs ...more
You may think you'll never be in an emergency situation, but you can never be too prepared! This video provides excellent tips on what to bring and do in an emergency situation. It takes only a small investment of your time and money to be prepared should you run into a probl ...more
We're officially seeking Null Byters on a weekly basis who are willing to take the time to educate the community. Contributors will write tutorials, which will be featured on the Null Byte blog, as well as the front page of WonderHowTo (IF up to par, of course). There is no ne ...more
Too many people just drive their cars for a few years and then replace them. When treated right, cars can keep on running for decades. You may not be able to keep your car running forever, but you can definitely extend its life. You Will Need *An owner’s manual *Replacement ...more
Motors. The word screams of complexity. They're everywhere and in everything, from car engines to airplanes to toys and electric wristwatches. But sometimes the most complex things can be really simple, as in the case of the homopolar motor, where the main point is a magnetic ...more
A common misconception is that all car batteries die. This, in fact, isn't true—the majority of "dead" car batteries just don't contain enough juice to power a car, but they can still provide enough watts to keep emergency fans and lighting running, which is great when a power ...more
If you saw this so-called automobile out on the street, you'd probably think a UFO had landed, but sure enough, it's a car - a solar powered race car. Japan's Tokai Challenger solar vehicle won the 2009 Global Green Challenge, with speeds of up to 93MPH, running at only 1.8KW ...more
Here's a DIY dream. Solar-power, recycled bottles, snap'n'go toy car! Simple. How easy to transform trash into toys. Plastic bottles take 700 years to decompose in a landfill. And annually, America uses over 150 billion plastic water bottles. The inventor of this solar powe ...more
Getting pulled over sucks, even when you're in a normal car. Just imagine how these teenagers felt when they were pulled over for driving their wooden car without a license! They also got a citation for not having a speedometer or side indicator lights, but if that's all that' ...more
Stuck behind bars? Held hostage by a guy with a flamethrower? Thanks to the wise and resourceful 80s secret agent MacGyver, these problems can be resolved by a car battery, two coins and some jumper cable. Sound absurd? Did you see this year's Superbowl MacGruber Pepsi ad? Ma ...more
With a little spare time and and a few items you can find around the house, you can make your own balloon-powered paper car. This is a great and easy DIY project that's perfect for competitive kids. All you'll need to get started is: Cardboard Straws Scotch tape Marker Paper ...more
Want an electric car without the price tag? You could always build your own, or maybe just hack your old gas guzzler into an eco-friendly electric machine... This weekend at Defcon, security consultant David Brown showed off his "Voltswagon" project, a 1974 Beetle named Shocky ...more
When the power goes out, having the ability to contact others becomes extremely important, and your cell phone can be one of the most important tools to have. But if the power is out for an extended period of time, battery life becomes a constant problem. Without the ability ...more
Popsci has posted 2009's most amazing scientific images, and there's quite a few great ones in there. A few of our favorites below, click through for all 62. In short, Cow Farts. "Scientists measure methane at the source: In a lush pasture near Buenos Aires, this cow and its ...more
Capstone's CMT-380 stealth looking prototype can hit 150mph, compared to Tesla's 125. Tesla better step it up. Says Engadget: "Rather than mixing batteries and a conventional engine, this whip combines the former with a diesel / biodiesel-powered microturbine, which is -- fo ...more
Former Google and Uber engineer Anthony Levandowski's scathing accusations challenging the physics behind Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk's claims about Autopilot should force Musk to make his case that self-drive cars don't need LiDAR in the next few months. Besides the humo ...more
Location services provider Mapbox is expanding the reach of its augmented reality development capabilities to include apps for automobiles as well as smartphone navigation. On Thursday, Mapbox announced a trio of new features for its Vision SDK, which will soon be available t ...more
Another contestant has emerged in the race to deliver a mainstream augmented reality car navigation system, with Silicon Valley-based Phiar picking up $3 million in seed funding to launch its own artificial intelligence-based mobile app by mid-2019. The Venture Reality (VR) F ...more
Integrated rather secretively into iOS 7.1, CarPlay gives a better hands-on experience when driving, working with the car's built-in display to help you find directions, send and receive calls and text messages, control music, and more—without having to fumble around with your ...more
Fall is my favorite time of year, yet I cringe every time it begins. Why? Because it seems like every business is in a frenzy to start the Christmas shopping season the day after Halloween ends. For those of us who are fans of pumpkins, that's a buzzkill. It used to be that y ...more
The potential of augmented reality is often shown in science fiction movies, but a new exhibit marries the genre with very real-world AR technology, to great effect. "Hollywood Dream Machines: Vehicles of Science Fiction and Fantasy" is a new exhibit at the Petersen Automotiv ...more
A smartphone is pretty much useless with a dead battery. When you're out and about, it can be hard to find a place to plug in (if you remembered your charger, that is). But this DIY solar panel backpack made by electrical engineer Theodore Protasiewicz will help you use the sc ...more
A couple weeks ago, GM's Cruise Automation released a remarkable self-driving video from the streets of San Fransisco that Driverless analyzed in detail. And now they've just released a new one giving more insight into their growing mastery of the complex roads in San Francisc ...more
The launch of the Audi A8 marks the world's first Level 3 car on offer in retail channels, except there is one catch: it can only take full control of driving at speeds of 37.3 mph or less. Audi would have certainly set the A8's self-drive to work at much higher speeds if it ...more
This year's I/O was all about bringing Android into the future and onto new devices. On top of announcing the upcoming "L" release of its mobile OS, Google showcased Android Wear, Android Auto, and Android TV. With a unified design language and notification mirroring, the var ...more
These days you can get a car tailored with special gangster rims, headlights, and sound systems, but one of the features of a standard car we all take for granted is power windows. Before those, all we had were frustrating crank-up windows that always got stuck if we didn't ad ...more
Power steering is one of the nicest and least-appreciated amenities of the modern car, and if yours stops working you'll know it fast. In this video you'll learn how to check if your power steering hose is leaking and how to replace it if it is.
Systm is the Do-It-Yourself show designed for the common geek who wants to quickly and easily learn how to dive into the latest and hottest tech projects. They will help you avoid pitfalls and get your project up and running fast. In this DIY episode, see how to safely wire an ...more
Sometimes when it comes to long road trips, we find out that having just on power outlet in your car isn't enough. iPod, cell phone, GPS, etc. how can you be able to use all these items and have just one power outlet? Well in this video, you find out how to add multiple power ...more
Upgrade the shocks on your RC vehicle to new aftermarket parts with this informative video. This video details how to install the Universal Shock Mounting kit with Proline Power Strokes. Tools needed for this install are a 5.5 driver and a 2.0 hex.
The original idea was to turn a small home UPS into a giant UPS but because the UPS was only able to run the RAID-wielding desktop for three minutes before shutting down, he decided to add two 24V car batteries to the equation (the maximum that his UPS could tolerate). The goo ...more
Running low on power steering fluid could put you in real danger, causing hard steering, a sudden loss of control to the car and fatal car crashes, but here's a way to steer clear of that situation. Watch this automotive video tutorial to see how to check and add power steeri ...more
One day, your car may break down and you won't be able to afford to hire a mechanic, so what do you do... you look on the web for some how-to vehicle repair videos and become your own car mechanic, that's what. You don't need any advanced training to perform repairs and simple ...more
Need a little power from your car battery? This OzLabs video will show you how to get that power in a detailed demonstration.
This video shows how to check and add power steering fluid to your car. If your like me and don't even know where the power steering fluid is this will help you.
Karthik Raj and Nishant explained about a air balloon car in this video. You just need 4 or more things to make the air balloon car. You need two rubber bands, one pen, two toy cars, and one air balloon exactly to do this air balloon car. First of all, you just take the air ba ...more