Awesome Tiny

Switzerland’s I’m Back teamed up with Yashica to create “the smallest mirrorless camera ever invented.” The ultra-compact digital camera fits in the palm of your hand and offers interchangeable lenses. It packs a 1/2.33 inch Sony IMX117 12-megapixel sensor that can also shoot 4K video, a flip-out 2-inch display, an HDMI output, and a flash hot shoe.

Andymation is known for his creative flipbook animations. He once created a flipbook smaller than a penny, but that wasn’t good enough for Andy, so he made an even smaller one. It took some work to get the camera and lens setup right; then, he got to work drawing each tiny frame with a sharp pencil. After that came the challenge of stacking them.

Measuring just over 2″ long, this tiny flashlight outputs up to 450 lumens and has a beautiful solid brass body. It’s IPX8 waterproof and dustproof, and knurling provides visual interest and grip. A red/green light on its tail provides a quick indication of charging status. It’s also available in black anodized aluminum.

This set of miniature hand tools from Japanese outfit Meta Mate are what happens when your tools get mixed up with some Pym particles. The kit comes with 11 injection-molded mini metal tools, including scissors, nippers, pliers, a monkey wrench, caliper, bow saw, vise and more. Each tiny tool works just like the real deal.

We’ve seen some pretty clever use of space in tiny houses, but never anything like this. Inventor Handy Geng challenged himself to build a fully functional steel safe house with just 30 sq. ft. (2.8 sq. meters) of space. It has a living room, computer desk, bed, kitchen, and even a bathroom, all way too close for comfort.

This tiny knife from Lonfell is the perfect companion to any gear bag or backpack with MOLLE webbing. It’s designed to clip on easily to MOLLE straps and releases quickly with a press on its plastic holster. It can also be hung from a lanyard and comes in black, green, or orange.

The Citroën Ami Buggy is what Carwow calls “the world’s smallest SUV.”  While we question the “sport” and “utility,” it’s definitely a vehicle. This sub-sub-compact car has open sides, plastic windows, and a sunroof held in place with a zipper and Velcro. With an 8 hp motor, it tops out at 28 mph. Mat Watson spent some time with this tiny EV, so you don’t have to.

Mark Rober and his pals made one of the largest NERF guns ever. This time, he went in the opposite direction, putting the popular toy through the shrink ray so many times it’s only visible with an atomic force microscope. After using a compliant mechanism to engineer a simplified version that can fire a dart, he worked with scientists to make NERF guns from DNA.

For years, Tokyo’s Akihabara district was home to one of the most amazing little shops. But after 43 years in business, Koichi Shimayama shuttered his tiny electronics shop under the tracks. After being gifted the remnants of the shop, Norm Nakamura from Toyko Lens (with the help of his supporters) paid a crew to dismantle and rebuild it inside his studio.

Americans like their trucks big, but in most countries, pickup trucks aren’t as common or as large. Just for fun, WhistlinDiesel ordered the smallest truck he could find and tested its hauling, off-road capability, and durability. The truck costs around $2500 in China, but shipping and importing brings the cost to over $11,000.

This tiny camera lets you discreetly monitor and record activity in your home, office, on your body, in your car, or even on your bike. It has a built-in clip and can attach magnetically to metal surfaces, beaming video back to your phone wirelessly. It runs for up to 90 minutes per charge. Save $29 in The Awesomer Shop.

When it comes to 3D printers, bigger is usually better, so you can print large or multiple objects. But My N Mi went the opposite direction and engineered a 3D printer you might find in a dollhouse. Despite measuring just 18 x 31 x 41 mm, the palm-sized resin printer makes surprisingly good prints. Here’s another tiny print sample.

This unique pocket knife features a geared mechanism to reveal its stubby 23mm (0.9″) 8CR13MOV steel blade. It’s the perfect size for a pendant or a keychain, though when it’s closed, it looks sort of those creatures Khan put in Chekhov’s ear in Star Trek II.

This arcade game is as small as they come. It runs on an Arduino-compatible 32-bit processor and has a tiny full-color OLED screen, a D-Pad, two pushbuttons, plus a built-in speaker. It comes pre-loaded with three homebrew games, and can be expanded with more games via a MicroSD card. Takes about 10 minutes to assemble.

We’ve seen some big remote-controlled airplanes, but this tiny flyer sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. Joe Malinchak built this minuscule R/C tri-plane with a 1.5″ wingspan. It weighs just one gram, and in addition to its tiny motor, it has a working rudder mechanism for steering. Watch it fly at the 3-minute mark.

A drill press is a large piece of workshop equipment mounted to a heavy base to provide a steady work surface for drilling through objects. Hands on Table thought it might be fun to make a miniature replica of a drill press and did an outstanding job building the tiny, working tool from scrap metal and some old motorcycle parts.

We’ve seen the fascinating way in which factories crank out plastic water bottles by the thousands. Now see the level of effort it takes a model maker to create a single bottle that looks just like a bottle of Crystal Geyser water, only after it’s been put through a shrink ray.

This teensy replica of the Atari 2600 comes with a miniature TV cabinet. It’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and is loaded with nine 8-bit video games, including Asteroids, Breakout, Centipede, Combat, Millipede, Missile Command, Pong Tempest, Warlords, and Pac-Man. They’re not the original 2600 versions though.

Anyone who has seen This Is Spinal Tap knows the consequences of a too-small Stonehenge. Now you can put an even tinier version of the ancient wonder right on your desktop. The kit includes a grassy green mat, 16 stone replicas, and a 32-page guide. Just don’t let your action figures trip over the stones.

The Zen Work Pod provides a soundproof space that’s perfect for getting away from the kids while you work. It’s made from wood, aluminum, and tempered glass, and comes with shelving, a SmartDesk Connect, a ErgoChair Pro+, and more. Assembly takes just a day. It’s currently on sale for $21,000, including free US shipping.

Karambits are known for their distinctive claw shape. Metalsmith Koss took advantage of the circular shape of a miniature saw blade and transformed it into a tiny, razor-sharp version of the unusual Indonesian weapon.

With smartphones, we’re used to gaming on relatively small screens these days. Mr. Volt bought a teensy 0.7″ AMOLED screen that crams in a full 1920×1080 resolution, then hooked it up to a computer to see if he could play games on it. In case you’re wondering, the screen was designed for use in a head-mounted display.

Developed by TinyCircuits, the Thumby is basically the world’s smallest Game Boy. It measures just 1.2″ x 0.7″ x 0.3″, and packs a Raspberry Pi RP2040 processor and a tiny 72×40 OLED screen. The system comes pre-loaded with five retro games, and players can upload their own custom games. Launches on Kickstarter 9.28.2021 for $19.