Spieleblog Österreich
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe entire purpose of virtual reality (VR) is to improve immersion beyond what can be achieved with a regular TV or monitor. So it can be frustrating to VR users when the darkness in their peripheral vision reminds them that they are, in fact, wearing a headset. To enhance the situation with Valve Index VR […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesIf you’ve ever found yourself in a trance while watching an episode of How It’s Made, then you understand the appeal of seeing a well-designed machine in action. But what if you didn’t have to turn on your TV or venture into a factory to get that buzz? That’s why JBV Creative built this real life […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesSolitaire is any tabletop game that can be played by just one person, and it can take the form of cards, pegs, memory, and in this case, marbles. As Mark Donners discusses in his element14 Presents video, marble solitaire is made of 33 individual divots and a total of 32 marbles that populate each one except the center with […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesEarly astronomers used observations on the moon’s phases to deduce the spherical nature of celestial objects and eventually to develop the heliocentric model that we all know and love today. Astrologers saw deep meaning in the phases of the moon and used that to create an entire mythos. The moon and its phases are important […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe recorder is a type of flute that is very popular in elementary schools because the instrument is so simple and inexpensive. If you were born in the last four decades and grew up in a western country, then there is a very good chance that you were required to learn how to play some […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe childhood classic tabletop game of Connect Four entails dropping either a red or yellow disc into one of several columns in a grid with the hope of lining up four in a row. And even though the game has existed digitally for a while now, it is mostly played on LCD screens with fancier […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesThere are many ways to control a robot arm, with the simplest being a sequential list of rotation commands for the motors. But that method is very inefficient when the robot needs to do anything complex in the real world. A more streamlined technique lets the user move the arm as necessary, which sets a […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesPipelines are integral to our modern way of life, as they enable the fast transportation of water and energy between central providers and the eventual consumers of that resource. However, the presence of cracks from mechanical or corrosive stress can lead to leaks, and thus waste of product or even potentially dangerous situations. Although methods […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesSpectrum analysis is a technique that allows someone to observe the amplitude of various frequency ranges within a signal. The most common use case is in the world of audio engineering, as it is useful for tuning audio output. It can, for example, show you that a particular audio signal has little amplitude in the […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesOne of the most popular machines in any arcade is the Cyclone game, where a ring of LEDs illuminate in sequence and the player must push a button at the exact moment that a specific LED lights up. Get it just right and you can win a whole pile of tickets to spend in the […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesExperienced servers are masters of balance and coordination, being able to carry several full glasses on a tray without spilling a drop. But many of us lack that skill and can’t carry even a single glass across a room without splashing half of it on our feet. To help the clumsy among us, YouTuber The […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesAlmost all haptic feedback today comes in the form of vibration. But vibratory haptic feedback is clearly lacking, as it cannot convey information with any kind of precision or granularity. The user notices the vibration and very course patterns may be recognizable, but that is a rudimentary approach that requires a lot of user focus. […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesSo much of the research and development in the area of haptic feedback focuses on universal devices that can create a wide range of tactile sensations. But that has proven to be a massive challenge, as it is very difficult to package the number of actuators necessary for that flexibility in a device that is […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesIf you aren’t part of that world, you may be making the mistake of thinking that art galleries are full of boring paintings for stuffy socialites. In reality, there are all kinds of different art galleries and some of them have some pretty interesting pieces. Kinetic art is always the most exciting, as demonstrated by […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesFor our younger readers: the Furby is a toy released in 1998 by Tiger Electronics and that saw tremendous success in the following years. Each Furby is a little animatronic creature that resembles the Mogwai from the Gremlins films, but more colorful. When first unboxed, they speak “Furbish,” but then transition to English. While they speak, they […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesHave you ever exited a dark movie theater in the middle of the afternoon and found yourself blinded by the sudden transition to bright sunlight? Etienne Leroy faces the same problem after watching a movie on his home projector and turning on the lights. Because those lights are intense and instantly come on at full […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhile brainstorming gift ideas, Professor Boots settled upon creating a tiny present-delivering robot that could move around on its own power. Because WALL-E’s design already has a built-in compartment and is quite memorable, it became the jumping off point for the project. The entire robot is 3D-printed from a combination of rigid PLA for the housing and flexible […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe world of mechanical engineering is full of interesting and ingenious mechanisms. The Geneva drive, for example, translates rotary motion into intermittent ticking — perfect for a wristwatch or clock. With a clever mechanism, one can reduce the need for complicated control electronics. That was the case with the self-reversing screw that moves the guide […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesRoulette is one of the classic casino games, along with poker, blackjack, baccarat, and craps. There are two popular versions of roulette: American and European. The American version features an additional zero (green) pocket and the numbered pockets in a different arrangement. Mirko Pavleski built a digital European roulette wheel and used charlieplexing to drive all 37 […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesEveryone loves a nice Nixie tube clock, but Nixie tubes are expensive and difficult to find. Even if you can source a working set, driving the vintage tubes is a complicated undertaking by modern standards. Nixie tubes require high voltage and multiplexing, which is a pain. To solve these problems while retaining the aesthetic, 4Dcircuitry […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesLED accent lighting is very trendy right now, as it can add quite a lot of visual interest to a room without introducing clutter. But commercial products are often either very expensive or subpar in quality and capability. Fortunately for makers, this kind of project is perfect for a DIY weekend build. One great option […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesPing pong is one of the most popular sports in the world, but that doesn’t mean that it is easy to find people to practice with. Lone players are typically forced to practice by using return boards (or one half of the table flipped up), but that is overly predictable. To provide a better training […]