Awesome Videos

For a number of years, engineers from Google Japan have been coming up with designs for impractical keyboards. Their 14th concept keyboard does not disappoint. This crazy input device makes users dial in each letter, number, and special character like an old rotary dial telephone. Like past designs, you can download DIY patterns and firmware.

Engineezy shows us how he made a machine inspired by the 3D animation channel Ball Simulations. At the heart of his real-world marble machine is a 3D-printed ball hopper made from see-through resin. After creating 12 ramps and mechanisms to see which was the most efficient at moving balls, he put it all together to form one awesome marble machine.

The human hand is one impressive piece of biological design, so replicating its abilities for a robot is no easy task. Boston Dynamics engineers explain how the grippers on its ATLAS robot have evolved to be able to firmly pick up and grasp objects without damage. Their current 3-finger technology combines sensors, cameras, and actuators to work its magic.

Industrial Light & Magic compositing supervisor Todd Vaziri sat down with Vanity Fair to uncover the hidden details tucked into visual effects. From Rogue One and Star Trek Into Darkness to Transformers, he reveals how invisible VFX can place actors into environments, fix timing and continuity issues, and alter reality in subtle ways you might never notice.

In 2017, comedian and talk show host Steve Harvey caught heat for a harsh memo in which he told his show staff to leave him alone and not approach him without an appointment. Filmmakers Lamar + Nik imagined what might have happened backstage if and when someone violated his strict, authoritarian rules.

Current Concept didn’t have the budget to buy a real boat, so he went the DIY route instead. To create his homebrew boat, he headed to the local Dollar Tree store to load up on cheap supplies. Made primarily from plastic bins, broom handles, zip ties, and foam boards, will his low-budget vessel stay afloat, and can it propel itself? Hit play and find out.

Bladesmiths Ilya Alekseyev and Matt Stagmer of That Works were enlisted to create a very special sword. Inspired by Viking and medieval wedding traditions, this beautiful ladder-pattern sword incorporates a twisty Möbius strip pommel that posed new challenges for the sword makers. The resulting piece is sure to get passed down through the generations.

Mike from List 25 explores the surprisingly fascinating world of maps. Many maps distort reality, due to the way they are rendered or for geopolitical reasons. From maps that stretch the truth to ones filled with odd historical quirks, this video uncovers 25 strange and obscure facts about cartography. And yes, the globe looks really weird when flipped upside-down.

LEGO builder Jamie’s Brick Jams built an overpowered LEGO bolt gun driven by a custom-built brushless motor and an 11-volt LiPo battery. The wild creation fires LEGO liftarm pieces and 3D-printed bolts at high speed using a pair of spinning tires. It’s not the most deadly weapon, though it can do damage at a short range.

3D-modeling and prototyping company 3D Brooklyn was commissioned by McDonald’s to create a one-of-a-kind set of headphones. Made to celebrate the Chicken Big Mac, they fabricated these over-the-ear headphones which look like a beefy Big Mac on one side and their poultry derivative on the other. If they put these into production, they’d sell like hotcakes.

The Guns N’ Roses song Sweet Child O’ Mine is an incredibly versatile track that sounds great in its original form and many other genres, like funk, bluegrass, or even oompah. This acoustic guitar version by musicians Sungha Jung and YOUNGSO is more subdued than those covers, but it’s still a wonderful reinterpretation of the 1987 classic, worthy of headphone listening.

3D printing tech can produce lots of useful things, but it can also be used to create whimsical items, like hit realistic model of a McDonald’s bag. 3D print expert prusaguy shows off a realistic faux paper sack that he printed on his Prusa XL printer, using a model designed by Surfalex2000. Now he just needs to print a Big Mac, fries, and an apple pie to go inside.

Luo from Luo’s Warrior Life has a wild talent that looks straight out of an action movie. The shredded martial artist can hurl screwdrivers with such force and control that they stick into other objects he tosses at the same time. It’s a wild display of timing, focus, and precision. Judging from the number of holes in his backboard, this takes a whole lot of practice.

Polka-dot, paisley, zig-zag, tartan, and camouflage are few popular patterns that have curious names and colorful backstories. In this video from Name Explain, host and language expert Patrick Foote explores the origins of these names and how they reflected the culture and trends of their times.

If you’ve ever stood in line at an amusement park, you know some thrill rides are worth the wait. Kayaker Aniol Serrasolses took that idea to the extreme with a daunting trek through Norway’s arctic wilderness to ride down a river to the tallest ice waterfall. The 10 km hike involved carrying two kayaks, a ladder, and ice climbing gear across a glacier.

If you’ve never been to a Buc-ee’s, you’re missing out on a uniquely American phenomenon – a gas station and convenience store that has become a major tourist attraction. Reporter Phil Edwards delves into what makes the Texas-based chain special, and why its success may be unstoppable as it launches its massive travel centers in more states.