Awesome Videos

Popcorn: there aren’t any other foods we can think of which must explode to be enjoyed. This high-speed footage from The Slow Mo Guys is almost as tasty as a bucket of the buttery stuff is. They used a dangerous-looking popcorn pressure cooker to get a bunch of kernels to pop simultaneously, then fired up some puffed rice.

Tomosteen animated this delightful stop-motion LEGO short that of a tabletop nature simulator. With the push of a button, a tree grows from seed and flourishes through the seasons, a penguin plays in the snow, and a festive field of flowers provides a home to bees and butterflies.

Daniel Zvereff’s award-winning animated short film follows a few moments in the life of a lonely old man. As the widowed watchmaker finds himself caught in a loop of his everyday life, he eventually finds peace in the memories of his life.

We thought the only way to land a dart on a dartboard was to throw it through the air. This skilled “dartist” shows how it’s possible to place a dart right in the bullseye by tossing it into a vertical loop, where it spins around and hits the bullseye. If you have any doubt this was real, here’s the original How Ridiculous video.

Object manipulator SHAO shows off an amazing stage prop that can smoothly change shapes in the hands of the right performer. Designed by flow arts prop maker Thomas Foyk, this series of interconnected rods can morph from a cube into various other geometries.

It’s amazing what you can make with cardboard. The S shows off a fantastic cardboard blaster he built called “The Transformer.” Rather than cutting all the pieces with a hobby knife, he used a Two Trees laser cutter to get nice sharp edges and repeatable shapes. The blaster doesn’t just look incredible; it fires projectiles using exploding butane.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket can land back on Earth after lifting payloads into space. Project Horizon has now replicated this impressive engineering feat on a much smaller scale. It’s hard enough to keep a model rocket balanced as it launches, let alone being capable of a controlled descent like this. It took 32 test flights to get it right. Onboard footage here.

Dissatisfied with the bass response of his off-the-shelf subwoofer, maker BigWR got to work retrofitting its speaker and amplifier into a new cabinet. He extended its acoustic chamber using angled sections of PVC drain pipe and assembled them inside of an acrylic cube. We’re not sure it sounds better because of the distortion, but it sure looks amazing.

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.

Traveling with a guitar can be challenging due to its size and shape. While there are some folding guitars on the market, they still take up a good deal of space. Yuji Shimano shows off a unique electric guitar that folds down small enough to fit into a briefcase. The velvet-lined case also has a built-in speaker and guitar amp, so it’s perfect for practice sessions.

The MSG Sphere in Las Vegas has quickly become one of the world’s most talked-about attractions. Inspired by its enormous LED display surface, DrZzs & GrZzs thought making a replica of the digital wonder would be fun. Their 8-foot diameter backyard mini-sphere has 20,028 RGB LED pixels and is driven by a Kulp 32 controller and xLights software.

During MAX 2023, Adobe showed off Project Primrose, a groundbreaking technology for fashion and interior design. Researcher Christine Dierk modeled an awe-inspiring dress that can change patterns instantly. Based on her research paper with TJ Rhodes and Gavin Miller, it use LCD reflective, non-emissive light-diffuser modules to change state electronically.

Engineers have come up with all kinds of pencil sharpeners. Shane from Stuff Made Here used his engineering expertise to see if he could come up with some new ways to achieve the sharpest point for his pencils. His six ridiculous pencil sharpeners include a 5-axis waterjet, a robot with a spinning X-acto blade, and a tiny chainsaw.

Aerospace engineer Tom Stanton has built a few R/C airplanes powered by compressed air. He’s continued to work on refining the design by reducing weight and increasing thrust. Tom’s latest pneumatic aircraft is the best yet, offering the best flight time of the bunch thanks to improved aerodynamics, a larger air chamber, and an efficient new engine,

Handy Geng wanted to know what it was like to feel weightless. But since he’s not planning on heading to space any time soon, he decided to build a machine that approximates that sensation on Earth. The vomit-inducing car has a cylindrical passenger compartment that can flip 360º. The faster it’s driven, the quicker it spins.

MTB rider and videographer Nikolaj Juhlsen takes us on a crazy-fast downhill ride illuminated only by the headlight on his bike. We’re guessing he’s practiced the run a few times in the daylight, given how flawlessly he performed the daring nighttime ride through the Austrian forest.