The world of DIY technology is filled with weird and wacky ideas with different motives. From Practical Arduino Home Automation Projects to make a Raspberry Pi powered by Halloween scares it seems that not many electronics lovers can not do.
From time to time, however, we find ourselves thinking, «We can see how you did it but we don’t know why you did it!»
This article takes a look at some of the weirdest and worst projects we’ve seen in the DIY electronics scene. when we speak worse we don’t mean bad as such. There is nothing wrong with any of these designs, and the design of all of them is ingenious. They just make up some of our favorite examples of a certain mentality: «I can do it, but should I do it?»
1. Arduino Calculator
Starting with something relatively simple, the Instructables user Kale_3d created impressive design for this full featured calculator.
This design is impressive, complex and aesthetic. It’s also a calculator. Oh yes, but surely it has additional features that can quickly calculate the trajectory of all potential alien spacecraft in our galaxy? No, it’s just a calculator.
How indicates Kale_3d in the introductory paragraph of this tutorial allowances, a $2 calculator will probably do everything this build can. This project is a great example of great engineering and a great learning experience. In terms of practicality, size and ease of use? This definitely raises a few questions, and they are all “Why?”
If you are looking for a similar but slightly more practical Arduino project, why not create a stylish digital D20 and ride in style?
2. The sigh collector
Stress is a huge problem in today’s world. Millions are spent in the health industry each year to help fight the roots of anxiety and stop the symptoms of stress before they begin. User Instructables mkontopo decided to take things into his own hands by creating a breath detector on his chest…
Wait. Which?
This machine uses an air bubble with fleshy appearance installed inside a free-standing wooden box. Over time, it fills up with an air pump, giving a visual indication of the number of breaths the user takes. Combined with a breathing chest strap that detects sighs and sends the appropriate signal to inflate the bladder even more.
This complex beautiful machine measures your breaths .
This might be the most impressively complex build we’ve ever seen, compared to the task it sets out to accomplish. Many projects combine brutal practicality with a lack of aesthetics in search of useful real world applications. This project is the perfect opposite of that approach. The assembly was created by Michael Kontopoulos as part of the «Measures of Discontent» series at UCLA.
3. Subscriber torture alarm
Being a YouTuber can be a lonely life. All day long you create amazing cat related content in the hope that enough people will subscribe enough. How do you deal with that feeling of being cut off from the millions of potential fans that flock to your digital door?
YouTuber Michael Reeves came up with a «solution» to this problem. Or maybe «the bigger problem is to solve this problem» more accurately.
