Now that we have your attention, we also want to know: Does your homebrew design have what it takes to be featured in the Design News Gadget Freak forum?
For those of you not familiar with Gadget Freak, here's the scoop: Gadget Freak builds aren't professional products, but they do showcase the spirit of innovation that's burning inside all design engineers. They also highlight that desert-island skill of making something functional and interesting out of a pile of spare parts.
Gadgets we've displayed include an automatic wireless release to free the family dog from a nighttime kennel and a robotic hand. We've seen electronically jazzed-up guitars and smart recycling disposal systems. Our Gadget Freaks have included student teams from engineering schools and home-based inventors. We recently posted a gadget made by an ingenious 15-year-old.
So, what are you waiting for?
If your project is accepted, we'll cut you a check for $500. You keep all the rights. We just ask for a three-month exclusive to show off your gadget to the world of fellow design engineers.
Let us know what kind of gadget you're building (remember, the more creative, the better)! Then we'll need the following items:
A detailed description of the gadget
Extensive, detailed build instructions
At least two high-resolution photos of the gadget
A high-resolution photo of you with the gadget
Bill of materials spec'd from Allied Electronics
A short, clear, high-resolution video of the gadget in action
Send your gadget idea to senior editor Rob Spiegel.
Happy building!
The editors of Design News have handpicked our favorite Gadget Freak cases from over the years, bringing them together in a dynamic digital edition, complete with videos. You can view them here!
Your dreamer's gadget just underscores how much work our Gadget Freaks put into their submissions. They do it without any indication they will be rewarded with a Gadget Freak spread.
What a great way to get our two teenage boys on board - we'll be looking around the garage this weekend and our electronics "stuff" to see what might be a fun and innovative project. I see a "family gadget" in our near future!
Andrew Morris designed a circuit that could detect a stroke victim's groan and convert the sound into a signal so caregivers would know when help was needed.
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