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ROBOBOATS!
Make: 78
CONTENTS
COLUMNS
Welcome: The Imperfect Prototype 05
Stories we tell about success too often focus on the finish line and gloss over the important steps of how we got there.
Made on Earth 06
Backyard builds from around the globe.
FEATURES
Making Competence, Making Confidence 10
Confront imposter syndrome with these tips.
The Joy of Coding 16
Meet the team behind the streaming roboticseducation platform CodeJoy.
Minoring in the Majors 20
How a self-described beginner got crash course in making via the Make: Learning Labs.
Fresh Air 24
DIY CO₂ monitors can help clear the air of coronavirus.
OCEAN SCIENCE
Across the Sea, Eventually 36
From parents’ garages to the high seas to a new career building USVs.
How to Track a Shark 44
Chasing chompers with the latest tech.
ON THE COVER!
Seasats’ new autonomous boat is a professionalgrade ASV born from a decade-old DIY build.
Photo: Declan Kerwin
PROJECTS
Botanical Engineering 46
Leverage the principles of tension and symmetry to make this seemingly impossible planter.
Grit Stash 52
Banish the jumble of random sheets and mystery grits, and get your sandpapers in order.
The Magic GIF-Ball 62
Ask and behold your future told — in memes — with this new twist on a classic toy.
Budget VR Haptic Gloves 68
Use your hands in virtual reality and feel the objects you touch, for about 50 bucks in parts.
Cellphone Smart Gate 72
Build this LTE-enabled opener to activate your garage or gate from anywhere.
Remaking History: Robert Boyle and the Air Pump 78
Re-create the vacuum pump that became the symbol of the Scientific Revolution.
Amateur Scientist: Listening to Light 84
Make a photophone to send and receive sound on a beam of modulated sunlight.
1+2+3 Virtual Half-Pipe 89
Turn an old skateboard into a versatile sit-or-stand swing.
Toy Inventor’s Notebook: A Can Full of Tone 90
Build a guitarist’s tone toy — in a can!
House of Fun 92
Plug-and-play microcontrollers make home automation easy, at Halloween or anytime. Ashley Biltz, Declan Kerwin, Chris Forde, Len Cullum, Lucas VRTech, Jay Grenier
Wicked Wings 98
Rise above the rest by adding articulating wings to your next costume.
Little Props and Horrors 100
Tis the season … to spook the neighborhood.
SKILL BUILDER
Generative Design 102
Use the power of AI to build biomimetic, optimized CAD models within Fusion 360.
Antennas in the Wild 112
Get the skinny on radio antennas with this primer and field guide.
TOOLBOX
Toolbox 122
Gear up with the latest tools and kits for makers.
OVER THE TOP
Unnecessary Inventions 128
Product designer Matt Benedetto spends his off time dreaming up outlandish contraptions.
