openMaterials

OSLOOM is is a project led by Margarita Benitez aimed at creating an open source electromechanical thread-controlled loom that will be computer controlled. It will include basic software allowing anyone to simply weave a photo thru a web browser (twill/satin), import weave ready files from other software (such as Bhakti/Alice photoshop method), and then post [...]

Tito Ingenieri, from Quilmes - Argentina, built his house out of six million empty bottles over a period of 19 years. His main motivation was the accessibility of scrap materials: “I didn’t have any other way to make my house and this was easy enough to do… Scrap iron and the remnants of other materials [...]

image source: wikimedia commons EL wire (electroluminescent wire) glows when an alternating current is passed through it. Unlike LED strips, EL wire is not a series of light points, but an unbroken line of visible light. It can be used in a variety of applications, from vehicle instrument panels and safety/emergency lighting to decoration and clothing. EL [...]

Refarm the city (aka re:farm) is a collective project started and led by Hernani Dias with the purpose of developing open source software and hardware tools for urban farmers. In its creators’ words, the project is a cross between a good meal (the crop, the seeds, the friends), hardware (the urban farm, the composter, the [...]

This solar clothes washer was made by 2nd year art students from the École Supérieure d’Art d’Aix-en-Provence (France). The challenge was to make a DIY washing machine using only materials available in the sahara. The prototype shown above uses bicycle parts (the tires and wheel), bamboo, and a solar panel connected directly to a recycled [...]

In addition to a very interesting OLED tutorial, the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (University of Wisconsin) also has online a video lab manual with step-by-step procedures, from basic to advanced, for working with nano materials. (via Erik De Bruijn)