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Awesome Sand

Why Does Some Sand Squeak?

Why Does Some Sand Squeak?

We’ve heard the phrase “singing sands” but never really knew what it meant. James from Atomic Frontier headed to Australia to explore why some sand makes a squeaking noise when you walk on it. After putting some of the rare squeaky sand beneath a microscope, he explains how sand dune can make a much larger sound under the right conditions.

Liquid Sand Glow Lighter

Liquid Sand Glow Lighter

This unique and eye-catching lighter is filled with fluid and luminous sand that glows in the dark and flows when you turn it. We’re not sure it’s a legit Zippo product, but you can take your chances from Lighter Boutique’s website or one of these generic ones we found on Amazon if you’re willing to give it a shot.

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LEGO Sand Drawing Machine

LEGO Sand Drawing Machine

We’ve seen machines that can draw patterns in sand, but this is the first time we’ve spotted one that was built using LEGO Technic components.  Brick Machines created this sand art machine with a magnetic assembly that moves along a set of custom aluminum rails using corkscrew gears driven by a Mindstorms controller and tech from PyBricks,

Sandlite Sand-free Beach Mat

Sandlite Sand-free Beach Mat
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Next time you visit the beach, don’t take all of the sand home with you. CGEAR’s Sandlite beach mats have a patented layered weave that lets grains of sand flow through, keeping it free of sand, dirt, and dust. The mats come in 5’1″ x 6’6″ and 6’6″ x 6’6″ sizes in various colors. Great for picnics, too.

Sandtrix

Sandtrix

Originally known as Setris, the puzzle game Sandtrix is a unique Tetris variant where the blocks are made out of sand, so they crumble on impact. It adds a new dimension to the classic puzzler and is surprisingly fun to play. There’s a web version, or you can download it for Windows or Linux on Itch.io.

Tuning LEGO Vehicles to Drive on Sand

Tuning LEGO Vehicles to Drive on Sand

Brick Technology has a keen interest in testing LEGO cars in all kinds of driving environments. This time they take a look at what it takes to give LEGO vehicles enough traction, mass, and stability to be able to traverse a sand-filled pit reliably. As you’ll see, it’s not just as simple as going with four-wheel drive.

Dune Sand Worm Sand Sculpture

Dune Sand Worm Sand Sculpture

The sand castles we built when we were kids were basic structures in the shape of buckets. On the other hand, Leonardo Ugolini uses sand to make true works of art. In this time-lapse video by Ivents Kulturagentur, Ugolini built a sculpture of one of the sandworms from 2021’s Dune, using sand from the movie’s set.

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HoMedics Drift Sandscape Garden

HoMedics Drift Sandscape Garden

The HoMedics Drift is a production version of those sand drawing machines we’ve seen before. This soothing and meditative gizmo uses a ball bearing to draw endless geometric patterns in the sand. It also has colorful RGB lighting, and its designs can be controlled via a companion mobile app. Available in 16″ and 21″ sizes.

Mine Waste Ski Slope

Mine Waste Ski Slope

When companies mine the ground for precious minerals, what do they do with the materials they dug up and didn’t use? In the case of one kaolin mine in Bavaria, Germany, you turn the leftovers into a slope for sandboarders and skiers. Tom Scott takes us on a journey to the Monte Kaolino theme park.

Zen Garden Patterns

Zen Garden Patterns

Designer Yuki Kawae shared this soothing and relaxing video of patterns he created in his coffee table zen garden. With a slow and steady hand, Kawae used rakes of various sizes and spacing to achieve a number of intriguing and hypnotic geometric patterns.

Millennium Sand Falcon

Millennium Sand Falcon

Artist Leonardo Ugolini is known for building intricate sandcastles and sand sculptures. In this video, he shows off a beachside version of the Millennium Falcon, while narrating his process with the most soothing voice. Check out Leonardo’s TikTok channel for more of his incredible sand creations.

Self-erasing Sand Machine

Self-erasing Sand Machine

Using parts from a 3D printer, custom laser-cut components, and LED lighting RCLifeOn created this mechanical table that uses a magnet and a ball bearing to draw complex patterns in sand, only to erase everything it doodles. On the plus side, as soon as it wipes out an image, it gets to work on another.

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Kitty vs. Sandbot

Kitty vs. Sandbot

Sand plotters are machines that moves a magnet and a ball bearing to draw geometric patterns in the sand. These machines usually move pretty slowly. On the other hand, Mark Rehorst’s large version draws very quickly, hypnotizing the cat who sits on the glass above it.

Sand Drawing Robot 2.0

Sand Drawing Robot 2.0

A while back, maker Ivan Miranda built himself a robot which could write words in the sand. He’s back to build an upgraded version of the machine which can draw much faster than the previous one. It uses 50 mini servos to doodle, two mini tanks to drive, and Arduino Mega controllers for its digital brains.

Beach Traffic Jam

Beach Traffic Jam

As a statement on climate change, conceptual artist Leandro Erlich created a surreal scene right in the middle of Miami Beach. The installation, titled “Order of Importance,” featured 66 actual vehicles buried under sand to create a traffic jam.

Sand Drawing Robot

Sand Drawing Robot

Ivan Miranda made a robot that can draw images on sand by etching one line at a time. It does take its time, and it would be nice if he could make it more portable and freewheeling, but it’s still a neat build. Skip to 1:40 to see the robot in action.

Making Sand and Gold Art

Making Sand and Gold Art

Artist Tim Bengel shows off the making of the first of his works from his upcoming Monuments exhibition – an incredible large-scale piece which appears out of nothing, after painstakingly dusting a sticky surface with black and white sand grains and gold leaf.

Sisyphus Kinetic Art Table

Sisyphus Kinetic Art Table

If you love artist Bruce Shapiro’s magnetic sand art, you’ll be glad to know that you can soon have one in your house as a table, and in a variety of wood veneer or hardwoods. It will have at least 25 built-in sand patterns that you can toggle via an app.

Dune Shredding

Dune Shredding

We’ve already seen skiing on sand dunes, so why shouldn’t sand snowboarding be a thing. Snowboarder Wojtek “Gniazdo” Pawlusiak took to the desert to shred some slopes with a little help from rally driver Kuba Przygoński and his Dakar-outfitted MINI. Photos by Marcin Kin.

Drone vs. Dune Buggies

Drone vs. Dune Buggies

Team BlackSheep headed to the desert of Dubai with its speedy TBS Vendetta drone to chase down a group of 1600hp Funco dune buggies as they tore up the sand. And no, that whine isn’t the sound of the buggies’ engines – it’s the drone’s rapidly spinning rotors.

Castles Etched on Grains of Sand

Castles Etched on Grains of Sand

“It’s so insignificant, yet so monumental.” Photographer Vik Muniz and designer Marcelo Coelho worked for four years trying to etch microscopic castles on individual grains of sand. More on Marcelo’s website.

Geometric Sand Sculptures 2

Geometric Sand Sculptures 2

Calvin Seibert recently shared some of the sandcastles he made on the beaches of Hawaii. As with his previous sandcastles, Calvin made structures that blur the line between organic and man-made.

Kinetic Sand

Kinetic Sand

Build sand castles without a beach using Kinetic Sand. It behaves like a more malleable version of putty. It’s made of ordinary sand with a little bit of silicone. It’s non-toxic and is easy to clean up. Seems mighty similar to SAND.

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