Made on Earth

Report from the world of backyard technology.

Articles in this series:

Warm Glow of Abduction from MAKE: 24: Space
Jason Dietz makes lamps that depict a classic flying saucer shooting down a giant plasma ray and pulling up an unsuspecting victim into the ship. by Goli Mohammadi

Crop Windows from MAKE: 24: Space
Britta Riley created "window farms" - a way for urban dwellers to garden vertically. by Jon Kalish

Free Juice Bar from MAKE: 24: Space
The SolarPump Charging Station provides free power for charging cellphones, laptops, electric bikes, and other gadgets by converting solar energy to electricity right on the spot. by Bruce Stewart

The Lawn Rider from MAKE: 24: Space
Former Navy aviation machinist Ted Wojcik built a pedal-powered lawn mower. by Laura Kiniry



Aiming High, Real High from MAKE: 24: Space
Dan Parker has devoted most of the last five years to designing and building his own high-altitude airplane. by Bruce Stewart

Lego Antikythera! from MAKE: 24: Space
Andrew Carol paid homage to the ancient Greeks by building a functioning Antikythera Mechanism out of Lego.

Rolling Like Luke from MAKE: 23: Gadgets
Daniel Deutsch built his own full-sized, drivable landspeeder. by Keith Hammond

Bright Lights, Big Installation from MAKE: 23: Gadgets
Firefly 1440 is an LED display of dancing light patterns based on the wind's force, timing, and direction. by Laura Kiniry



Shelter from the Bus from MAKE: 23: Gadgets
Sculptor Christopher Fennell created a bus stop shelter out of actual retired buses. by Bruce Stewart

Living Walls from MAKE: 23: Gadgets
Rufus Butler Seder creates animated glass murals. by Jeanne Storck

Hardcore Thread from MAKE: 23: Gadgets
Theresa Honeywell covered an entire motorcycle in knitwork. by Shawn Connally

DIY Truss Telescope from MAKE: 23: Gadgets
Dale Sander built a "truss telescoping telescope." by Bruce Stewart

Come On, Sweat! from MAKE: 23: Gadgets
Waste to Work is a project that explores sweat as a catalyst for energy. by Laura Kiniry



Cardboard Carbon Neutral from MAKE: 22: Remote Control / Wireless
Chris Gilmour's cardboard sculptures. by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith

Rocking on Eggshells from MAKE: 22: Remote Control / Wireless
Mini speakers made of eggshell. by Megan Mansell Williams

Trebuchet Tossables from MAKE: 22: Remote Control / Wireless
Kurt Modert and his friends built a giant trebuchet. by William Gurstelle

Network Tormentations from MAKE: 22: Remote Control / Wireless
Constraint City is a fetish-inspired piece that explores the realm between public and private space. by Laura Kiniry



Manga on Wheels (with Snacks) from MAKE: 22: Remote Control / Wireless
Japanese story card theater. by David Battino

Explosive Stuff from MAKE: 22: Remote Control / Wireless
Felipe Barbosa transforms common objects into unexpected works of art. by Annie Buckley

A Reel-Time Clock from MAKE: 22: Remote Control / Wireless
Reel Time tells time in pieced-together English sentences, displayed on rolls of 35mm film. by Bruce Stewart

Camper Van Bicycle from MAKE: 21: Desktop Manufacturing
Through the vehicular art series, the Camper Kart, Camper Bike, and paintings of vans, Kevin Cyr hopes the Kart will stimulate conversation about self-reliance, mobility, and shelter. by Thomas Walker Wilson

Cranked-Up Creativity from MAKE: 21: Desktop Manufacturing
Mike Adair, a 44-year-old artist from Overland Park, Kan., builds brightly colored wooden crank toys in his basement workshop. by Laura Cochrane

Bright Idea from MAKE: 21: Desktop Manufacturing
Eric Lawrence, a web designer and former art student at the University of Texas, Austin, made the first Styrolight built from the molded styrofoam his new Apple computer came in. by Megan Mansell Williams

Emotional Aquatics from MAKE: 21: Desktop Manufacturing
Axolotl is a 3D audiovisual display attracting onlookers with a digitized squid-like creature that responds to facial recognition by simulating a sense of interaction and involvement. by Laura Kiniry



The Art of Fusion from MAKE: 21: Desktop Manufacturing
Jared Pankin, who makes sculptures, is innovative with his use of plywood, fake fur, sawdust, foam, model-scale trees, and other familiar goods. by Megan Mansell Williams

Mechanimals Menagerie from MAKE: 21: Desktop Manufacturing
Andrew Chase welds together sheet metal, iron pipe, and used car parts to make mechanical animals, or "mechanimals.” by Ian Dille

In the Zome from MAKE: 21: Desktop Manufacturing
Rob Bell and Patricia Algara created their own hybrid structure, a DIY greenhouse they call the Algarden Zome. by Bruce Stewart

Pedal Smoothie from MAKE: 20: For Kids of All Ages
David Butcher's Pedal Powered Prime Mover as seen on Make: television. by Keith Hammond

WALL-E World from MAKE: 20: For Kids of All Ages
Before the Disney/Pixar film WALL-E premiered in 2008, replicas of its robot star were already showing up on the internet. by Gareth Branwyn

Bug Warriors from MAKE: 20: For Kids of All Ages
A new breed of bionic air and ground forces, a cyborg army designed and built by artist Dean Christ. by Megan Mansell Williams

Treespotting from MAKE: 20: For Kids of All Ages
The Detroit Tree of Heaven Woodshop is a collective of artists, arborists, and woodworkers that transforms the ghetto palm into lumber. by Jeanne Storck

Hit Me With Your Stretch Shot from MAKE: 20: For Kids of All Ages
The Rubber Bandit, a rubber band gun created by 21-year-old Andy Mangold. by Megan Mansell Williams

Oilcan Canopy from MAKE: 20: For Kids of All Ages
Sanjeev Shankar and the residents of Rajokri, India transformed old oilcans into a suspended shade pavilion called Jugaad. by Bruce Stewart

A Major Model Village from MAKE: 20: For Kids of All Ages
Bekonscot, the world’s oldest model village. by Julian Darley

Magical Moths from MAKE: 19: Robots
Michelle Stitzlein builds 11-foot-wide moth sculptures. by Bruce Stewart

Cardboard Shredder from MAKE: 19: Robots
Mike Sheldrake makes cardboard wave vehicles. by Keith Hammond

Mad Bots from MAKE: 19: Robots
Clayton Bailey has made about 100 life-sized robot sculptures, all carefully constructed from found objects whose previous incarnations contribute something unique. by Thomas Walker Wilson

Faux Favela from MAKE: 19: Robots
Benjamin Van Oost’s Favela sculpture is made entirely of trash — recycled boxes, pieces of metal found on the street, toilet paper rolls, and aluminum cans. by Thomas Walker Wilson

Open Source Soaring from MAKE: 19: Robots
Mike Sandlin has created a lightweight set of gliders that are “intended to provide open air soaring, forgiving flight characteristics, convenient transport, simple ‘garage technology’ construction, and a high level of crash safety.” by Abe Connally, Josie Moores

Bus Tag from MAKE: 19: Robots
Austin-based artist Magda Sayeg and her group of urban knitters, Knitta Please, have gone on several covert midnight missions to knit cozies for anything from car antennas to street sign poles and trees. by Carla Sinclair

All We Can Say Is, WoW from MAKE: 19: Robots
With help from artist Marisa Jahn and Steve Shada, MIT Media Lab research assistant Cati Vaucelle created the WoW Pod, “a cocoon that structures a relationship between your physical body and your avatar,” she says. by Laura Kiniry



From Garbage to Gallery from MAKE: 18: ReMake America
Artist David King's four-month residency at the San Francisco city dump. by Annie Buckley

On the Right Trac from MAKE: 18: ReMake America
Marcin Jakubowski and the team at Open Source Ecology (OSE) designed an open source tractor, called LifeTrac. by Abe Connally

Big Balsa from MAKE: 18: ReMake America
New Zealand artist Christian Nicolson's full-sized fighter plane based on the old balsa models. by Steven Shaw

Trailer (Re)Made from MAKE: 18: ReMake America
Paul Villinski's Emergency Response Studio, a FEMA-style trailer transformed into a fully functional, sustainably built mobile artist studio. by Laura Kiniry



Wood-Grained Visions from MAKE: 18: ReMake America
Artist Alison Elizabeth Taylor's familiar scenes rendered in unexpected ways using wood inlay. by Annie Buckley

¡Luchadora Libre! from MAKE: 18: ReMake America
Artist Sophia Allison's imaginatively feminine wrestling attire. by Annie Buckley

Solar Asphalt Gondolier from MAKE: 18: ReMake America
Reno Tondelli, Jr. built the world's first recumbent hybrid taxi. by Keith Hammond

Going Buggy from MAKE: 17: Lost Knowledge
With an entomologist's passion and meticulous attention to detail, Wesley Fleming recreates bugs in the form of tiny glass sculptures. by Linda Permann

Super Green Greenhouse from MAKE: 17: Lost Knowledge
Jasmine Zimmerman's greenhouse made from used plastic bottles. by Bruce Stewart

Hennepin Crawler from MAKE: 17: Lost Knowledge
A fantastic pedal-powered art car that rides on roads or rails. by Dave Sims

Power to the People from MAKE: 17: Lost Knowledge
An inventor turns spinning wheels into generators for rural India. by Laura Kiniry



Paper Hardware from MAKE: 17: Lost Knowledge
Christopher Tallon's paper sculptures of tools fool the eye. by Annie Buckley

In the Round from MAKE: 17: Lost Knowledge
Dick Termes' spherical paintings really do give a new -- six-point -- perspective. by Donna Tauscher

Transatlantic Tunnel from MAKE: 17: Lost Knowledge
The Telectroscope is a digital transatlantic tunnel between New York and London. by Marc de Vinck

Out of Their Shell from MAKE: 16: Spy Tech
Snapshots from the world of backyard technology. by David Pescovitz

Shake-o-Rama from MAKE: 16: Spy Tech
Snapshots from the world of backyard technology. by Megan Mansell Williams

Avian Spacecraft from MAKE: 16: Spy Tech
Snapshots from the world of backyard technology. by Eric Smillie

Gliding on Air from MAKE: 16: Spy Tech
Snapshots from the world of backyard technology. by Bruce Stewart

Technozoology from MAKE: 16: Spy Tech
Snapshots from the world of backyard technology. by Donna Tauscher

Spying for Kicks from MAKE: 16: Spy Tech
Snapshots from the world of backyard technology. by Megan Mansell Williams

Ship of Bricks from MAKE: 16: Spy Tech
Snapshots from the world of backyard technology. by John Baichtal

Shock and Awesome from MAKE: 15: Music
Czech artist Kristof Kintera likes to make the patrons of his art a little nervous. by Eric Smillie

Form and Functions from MAKE: 15: Music
David Jones makes his own scientific calculator watch. by Bruce Stewart

Interstellar Visions from MAKE: 15: Music
South of Tucson, Ariz., a science enthusiast has been collecting moonlight. by Goli Mohammadi

Stylish Change from MAKE: 15: Music
Stacey Lee Webber makes tools from solder and pennies. by Eric Smillie

Planeboat Memories from MAKE: 15: Music
An old aircraft found new life as a yacht. by Megan Mansell Williams

Strike Anywhere from MAKE: 15: Music
Billy Gordon has made a gigantic, strike-anywhere match. by Keith Hammond

Political Hot Seat from MAKE: 15: Music
Sean Regan has taken street spam and made it into comfortable furniture. by Ed Troxell

Earth, Wind, Inspire from MAKE: 14: Optics
by Linda Permann

Musical Engineerity from MAKE: 14: Optics
Want robots to be musical, creative, and expressive? Better brush up on your engineering. by Peter Kirn

Pedal Pure from MAKE: 14: Optics
The five designers of Aquaduct were thinking of creating access to clean water for everyone. by Megan Mansell Williams

Status: Stinky from MAKE: 14: Optics
Want someone to know how many times you applied deodorant today? Neither do the creators of Zero Privacy. by Bruce Stewart

Auto Erotic from MAKE: 14: Optics
After five ratchet-welding years, Liz Cohen has created a lawnmower that becomes an El Camino. by Eric Smillie

Yabba Dabba DIY from MAKE: 14: Optics
Bill LeMaster built the Flintstone car for his grandkids' Halloween costume. by Ed Troxell

Dirty Car Art from MAKE: 14: Optics
Scott Wade wanted to do better than write "Wash Me" in the dust of dirty cars... so he drew caricatures. by Dale Dougherty

Erik and the Submarine from MAKE: 13: Magic
Erik Westerberg's homemade submarine can dive to a depth of 100 meters. by Johanna Hallin

Hello Moto from MAKE: 13: Magic
If the headlamp on a classic Vespa can illuminate a twisting Italian roadway at night, why couldn't it light up a desk? by Dan Fost

Right on Track from MAKE: 13: Magic
Jonathan Jamieson turned common barbecue skewers into a delicate sculpture of chutes and turns for a rolling metal ball. by Megan Mansell Williams

Topsy-Turvy Expression from MAKE: 13: Magic
The Topsy-Turvy School Bus is touring the United States with a different point of view about the presidential election. by Karen Hansen

Wind-Up Whimsy from MAKE: 13: Magic
Gina Kamentsky's Mechanical Confections are one-of-a-kind kinetic sculptures. by Bruce Stewart

PlayStation Wizard from MAKE: 13: Magic
Teenager Max Maruszewski built a PlayStation console case out of Legos. by Shawn Connally

Bottled-Up Visionary from MAKE: 13: Magic
A bottle chapel built by restaurant owner and folk artist Martin Sanchez. by Marlow Harris

The Instruments of Intervention from MAKE: 12: Upload
Tim Kaiser makes new and original musical instruments from scrap parts and a high school electronics class. by Megan Mansell Williams

Sustainable Junkyard Wars from MAKE: 12: Upload
Students try to help build a more sustainable world. by Dave Ng

Eco-Gym from MAKE: 12: Upload
Manuel de Arriba Ares has created an elaborate and unique gym out of salvaged parts. by Martin Howse

Real-Life Concept Cars from MAKE: 12: Upload
Baron Margo makes his own rocket-inspired concept cars. by Jason Torchinsky

On the Wings of a Straw from MAKE: 12: Upload
Carl Rankin makes model planes out of common household objects. by Annie Buckley

Hard Wood from MAKE: 12: Upload
Lee Stoetzel recreates iconic products like Harley-Davidsons, Macs, and Big Macs entirely out of wood. by David Pescovitz

The Nature of Microcontrollers from MAKE: 12: Upload
Claude Zervas's microcontroller art replicates the Northwest's landscapes. by Katie Kurtz

Global Bus from MAKE: 11: Alt Vehicles
Sphere artist Lars Fisk rolls his own Volkswagen bus. by Megan Mansell Williams

Super Stick from MAKE: 11: Alt Vehicles
Jason Torchinsky builds a 5-foot-tall retro Atari joystick that works. by Annie Buckley

Fire-Cooled Brew from MAKE: 11: Alt Vehicles
New Zealander Simon Jansen (of Star Wars ASCIImation fame) fires up an absurd, jet engine-powered beer cooler. by Keith Hammond

The Old-Fashioned Future from MAKE: 11: Alt Vehicles
Stephane Halleux's sculptures mix advanced technology with antiquated mechanisms. by Megan Mansell Williams

Games That Games Play from MAKE: 11: Alt Vehicles
New York artist Paul Johnson networks custom video games that play each other. by David Pescovitz

Grand Master Video from MAKE: 11: Alt Vehicles
Gardner Post's Baby Grand Master is the "king of video instruments." by Steve Nalepa

Hungry Bots Must Eat from MAKE: 11: Alt Vehicles
Ohio professor Ken Rinaldo's robots sense hunger, find and feed on electrical power, then tell the others where to find it. by Megan Mansell Williams

Hardcore Laser Tag from MAKE: 10: Home Electronics
It's not the Family Fun Center. Meet Mike Yates and his Scorpion. by Steve Lodefink

Sound Effects from MAKE: 10: Home Electronics
Sound sculpturist Jeroen Diepenmaat has a bird that plays records. by Megan Mansell Williams

Star Trails from MAKE: 10: Home Electronics
Josch Hambsch shows off star trails with digital photography. by Shawn Connally

Mortar Shells to Coffee Grounds from MAKE: 10: Home Electronics
Azmeraw Zeleke makes coffee machines from spent weapons. by Amber Henshaw

Hot Copy from MAKE: 10: Home Electronics
Steve Barker makes some crazy backyard BBQ grills. by Megan Mansell Williams

Eight-Step Program from MAKE: 10: Home Electronics
An 8x8-button USB controller that's also a display, from the designers and musicians at Monome. by David Battino

Rolling Mountain Thunder from MAKE: 10: Home Electronics
Frank Van Zant's monument in the desert. by Dave Sims

Raygun Reverie from MAKE: 09: Fringe
Paul Loughridge turns flea-market junk into retro rayguns. by Keith Hammond

Purrfect Relaxation from MAKE: 09: Fringe
Duncan Laurie relaxes with the Purr Generator. by Steve Nalepa

Throwing to the Dogs from MAKE: 09: Fringe
Ken Schroeder's dog-bone throwing machine. by Charles Platt

The Sound of Music Blocks from MAKE: 09: Fringe
Rainbow-colored blocks of sound. by Nicole Oncina

Illegal Soapbox Derby Races from MAKE: 09: Fringe
Careening illegally down a hill in San Francisco. by Todd Lappin

History Junkies from MAKE: 09: Fringe
Chinese sailing junks on the San Francisco Bay. by Audra Wolfmann

Hacker of Yesteryear from MAKE: 09: Fringe
Hacking the new and the old together. by Gareth Branwyn

Mr. Cranky from MAKE: 08: Toys and Games
Ernie Fosselius' menagerie of mechanical woodcarvings. by David Battino

Belly of the Beast from MAKE: 08: Toys and Games
Theo Jansen's huge, self-propelled sand walkers. by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith

Camera-on-Wheels from MAKE: 08: Toys and Games
Jo Babcock turns RVs into giant pinhole cameras. by Megan Mansell Williams

Open Source Open Water from MAKE: 08: Toys and Games
Bryan Horling rescues houseplants with his Linux-based plant waterer. by Bob Parks

The Secret Life of Death Clouds from MAKE: 08: Toys and Games
Artist Matt Jones welds garbage bags into spooky hot-air balloons. by Eric Smillie

Blue Spark from MAKE: 08: Toys and Games
Charge your tech gadgets on Sean Barrow's elegant, sustainable furniture. by Kirsten Anderson

Kinetic Fauxbot Sculptures from MAKE: 08: Toys and Games
The robotronic fantasia of sculptor Gould Nemo. by Bruce Stewart

Made On Earth from MAKE: 07: Backyard Biology
Report from the world of backyard technology. by David Albertson, Xeni Jardin, Arwen O'Reilly Griffith, Bruce Stewart, Megan Mansell Williams

Made On Earth from MAKE: 06: Robots
Report from the world of backyard technology. by Shawn Connally, Dan Gonsiorowski, Keith Hammond, Peter Kirn, William Lidwell, David Pescovitz, Bob Scott

Made On Earth from MAKE: 05: Science, Weather, and Outdoors
Reports from the world of backyard technology. by David Battino, Shawn Connally, William Gurstelle, Keith Hammond, Josie Moores, Arwen O'Reilly Griffith

Made On Earth from MAKE: 04: Music and Kits for the Holidays
Amazing things your neighbors build in their basements. by Peter Kirn, Steve Lodefink, Bob Miller, Arwen O'Reilly Griffith, Chris O'Shea, Bob Parks, Bruce Stewart

Made on Earth from MAKE: 03: Cars and Halloween
Reports from the world of backyard technology, including a shopping cart go-kart, the "Solar Death Ray," a demolished house sculpture, a gas tank bass instrument, and some seriously big speakers. by Shawn Connally, Bob Parks, Paul Spinrad, Phillip Torrone

Made on Earth from MAKE: 02: Home Entertainment
Reports from the world of backyard technology, including a cockroach-controlled robot, high altitude glider, student-built cyclotron, Vee 9 solar vehicle, robotic CD burner, coffee mug ramjet, and more. by Xeni Jardin, Jason Kottke, Bob Parks, Paul Spinrad

Made on Earth from MAKE: 01: Make Premiere
Amazing things that ordinary people are making in their garages and backyards, including the Niles Monorail, steam locomotives, desktop trebuchets and guillotines, serious legos, a thermo-electric keg wrap, Meccano computing machinery, and more. by Xeni Jardin, Arwen O'Reilly Griffith, Bob Parks, Paul Spinrad

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