Awesome Magnets

GoodHangups let you hang posters, cards, and other light items on a variety of surfaces, neatly and without frames. It consists of a set of small magnets and magnetic stickers, which are easy to remove and are reusable. Sold packs from 8 to 100 pieces.

Physicsfun presents a brief demonstration of one of the more interesting motors we’ve seen – the Mendocino motor uses magnets and a solar energy source to levitate as it spins. You can pick up a similar version for your own desk over on Amazon.

From the “why didn’t we think of this?” file, TipHero shows off a simple, yet effective way to scrub the inside of hard to reach glass vessels by sticking magnets inside of a pair of cut up sponges – one inside the glass, and one on the outside.

The Magnetic Games channel presents a fantastically satisfying video in which they play back the destruction of various magnetic sculptures in reverse. Put your headphones on, and the audio just makes it that much more entertaining.

Harvard Natural Sciences presents a nifty experiment that shows how a liquid nitrogen-cooled metal substance (YBCO) can cause a neodymium magnet to levitate. As the disc cools, it becomes a superconductor, causing the Meissner effect to kick in.

Lochett is an adjustable strap that has a pair of powerful magnets built in. It can hold any object that weighs up to nearly 9 pounds, even on wet surfaces. It comes with two strap lengths, with a third and larger one available as an optional add-on.

After seeing the unusual way in which magnets interact with copper, NightHawkInLight explores whether an electromagnetically-generated force field in copper could stop or slow a magnetic projectile in mid-flight.

Inspired by a design posted by Brainergizer, YouTuber 上橋智恵 shows off an adorable little robot which can easily walk up walls and on ceilings – as long as they’re made out of metal. Its construction relies on neodymium magnets in its feet to work its magic.

Unlike steel, copper isn’t attracted to or repulsed by magnets. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t some interaction. NightHawkInLight takes a look at some of the strange behaviors that occur between thick sheets of copper and strong neodymium magnets.

Tinkerer of things DoodleChaos set up a maze of Jenga blocks, dominoes, sticks, magnets, and other bits and bobs, and precisely placed them such that a series of ball bearings dropped into the them syncs up perfectly with Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers.

What the Shape offers handmade candles that look like Nike and Jordan sneakers, including the Air More Uptempo, the Air Jordan 1 and the Air Jordan IV. Each candle is about 5″ long. The designs are also available as soaps and fridge magnets.

We don’t usually get excited about unboxing videos, but there’s something about the pleasant voice of Braniac75 as he cracks open what just might be the most powerful (and dangerous) neodymium magnet you can buy, and cracks it open to see just what it can do.

The Moon camera has a base that allows for magnetic levitation and wireless charging. But it’s more than a floating eye. It can rotate itself towards a source of sound, and act as a home automation controller. It even has an IR blaster to control older appliances.

We’ve seen several objects that use magnetic levitation. This floating pillow lets you show off the precious items that you already own. It’s strong enough to lift jewelry, watches and other small items. The base comes in wired and wireless models, and three colors.

We’re not sure what sort of magnets Chemical Bouillon used beneath their container of ferrofluid, but they used them to manipulate the wondrous magnetic fluid into some fascinating organic patterns. More here and here.

Students from the Ithaca College Low Temperature Physics Lab created a neat version of a quantum levitation track. It still uses supercooling and magnets to work its magic, but adds a fun (and literal) twist to by running its course around a triple-twist Möbius Strip.

YouTuber Brusspup catalogs nine nifty playthings which use magnets to make stuff hover, spin, attract, repel, and behave in cool and unexpected ways. We’ve seen most of them before, but there were a couple of surprises, like that MagSwitch.

A unique alternative to fidget spinners, this set of spheres have gimbal-mounted rare earth magnets inside, causing them to attract, repel, and roll in unexpected ways. Set includes two gyroscopic magnet spheres, and two proxy magnet spheres.

Looking for a way to pass the time that doesn’t involve a fidget spinner? Grab some of these strong neodymium orbs which let you build all kinds of structures through the power of magnetism. Each pack comes with 216 magnets. (Not for sale to kids for safety reasons.)

The process of sandwiching oil and ferrofluid between sheets of glass is messy to say the least, but the result is amazing – the ability actually view the radiating fields created by magnets placed on the surface of the glass. Magnetic Games shows us how its done.

For Inventables’ fidget spinner challenge, Giaco Whatever decided to see if he could make one that could float in mid air. After a bunch of experimentation, he was able to get it to work by placing it between two opposing magnetic fields, and spinning it for stabilization.

Beyond its liquid properties, the other cool thing about mercury is that it’s magnetic. Roobert33 shows how electromagnets can be used to change the direction that mercury flows in. It would be cool to build an Escher-style fountain that flows uphill with this method.

These small plastic building blocks have magnets built inside of them, allowing for quick-snap construction of your own 3D voxel art creations. A companion app will provide ideas for pre-made designs too. Bricks will come in 16 vibrant colors to start.