3D printers got a lot of attention when DIYers leapt to action to address equipment shortages early in the pandemic, but some everyday items found in hardware stores played a big role, too.
A DIY satellite ground station in London, UK.
Dyer & Engelmann
Building a culture of cycling is essential, especially where bike use is low. A global movement of community bike workshops, also known as bike kitchens, can help.
Maker spaces give engineers and designers the tools to build low-cost medical equipment using locally available materials.
Brandon Martin, Rice University
Engineering students in Malawi and Tanzania have used the materials and tools available to them to build ventilators, personal protective equipment and UV disinfection systems.
Suddenly unable to smell your morning coffee? You likely have COVID-19.
Kseniya Ovchinnikova/Moment via Getty Images
COVID-19 patients often lose their sense of smell and taste. This is rare for a viral infection. At-home smell tests could be used as a screening tool and help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Many items labeled “Made in China” could be made on people’s desktops instead.
kynny/iStock via Getty Images
The rush to make personal protective equipment like facemasks and face shields using 3D printers shows that the technology can help circumvent global supply chain disruptions.
Natosha, a houseless resident in Los Angeles’ Skid Row points to a DIY handwashing station.
Pete White/LA CAN
Cerianne Robertson, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism; François Bar, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and Graham DiGuiseppi, University of Southern California
A community effort is creating do-it-yourself hand-washing stations for the homeless population in Los Angeles.
Citizens and activists are using cheap off-the-shelf sensors to collect their own data on air pollution. It’s a promising trend, but these devices have serious technical limitations.
DIY antennas are often placed in churches for better visibility, longer distance and better quality connections.
Freifunk.net
A simple procedure requiring only a nine-volt battery and a few cords strapped to your head is gaining momentum with DIY types eager to improve brain function. Brain stimulation involves weak electric…
Glowing plants are frivolous? Most people don’t think so.
jsalamandras
Luc Henry, EPFL – École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne
The hobbyists who conduct biology in their garage are not a threat to society, according to a recent report published by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. They aren’t developing a new…
A home-made hexapod robot on display at a Mini Maker Faire at Somerville in the US.
Chris Devers
One evening when I was young, my father confiscated my radio because he said I was playing it too loud (I wasn’t). Fortunately, I had a bunch of broken down receivers in my room, so I built a new one…
Professor & Chair in Air Quality and Health; Founding Director, Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), Co-Director, Institute for Sustainability, University of Surrey, University of Surrey