For as long as we can remember, holograms have been one of the coolest science fiction technologies that still haven’t quite lived up to the promises of our favorite films and TV shows. We’re a long way from chatting with Mark Twain on the holodeck, basically, but that doesn’t mean current “hologram” technology isn’t cool!
One of the neater everyday hologram-like technologies you can easily buy is a propeller clock. In fact, using a simple microcontroller, some LEDs, and a spinning motor, you could even build your own propeller clock. But this enterprising Twitter user decided a propeller clock wasn’t enough and ended up making a propeller watch! It’s not entirely practical, but it is completely awesome!
Now, the word “hologram” seems to carry different meanings for different people, so what we’re talking about here is basically a clock whose display seems to float in the air. Commonly called “fan clocks” or “propeller clocks,” these devices aren’t exactly new, but they’re not terribly common either, even though they can be bought online for around 2,000 yen (US$16.60). Perhaps most people don’t want to listen to their clock whirring all day?
Regardless, these devices are generally stationary—you set them up, plug them in, and go about your day, glancing up at it like you would any other clock. But Twitter user @FRISK_P had another idea…
“A propeller wrist watch. I tried redoing the power so it runs on two batteries.”
And it looks like he was successful! That’s a propeller watch spinning away on a wrist. It’s probably not the most practical thing we’ve ever seen, but when you think about those giant cellphones of yesteryear, this doesn’t seem so bad for a first-generation device.
▼ And improvements are planned!
“Actually, in the previous photo, I was just resting it on my wrist. To make it a proper wrist watch, I got some bento box belts, a neckstrap, and a urethane mat all from a 100 yen store and made a special belt for it. Next will be a case.”
Yep, @FRISK_P is taking this device very seriously! And we can understand why: it’s just so darn cool. In case you’re wondering, here’s where the main parts came from: A USB fan clock from Amazon Japan!
▼ This is what it looks like turned off.
The maker’s first “propeller watch” tweet was retweeted and favorited a combined 35,000 times, so it definitely struck a chord with the internet masses. But it turns out this isn’t @FRISK_P’s first creation. In fact, the tinkerer has been very busy for quite some time, creating a number of steampunk devices, like this automatic cannon!
▼ Put the cannon on a cat, and you have a cat tank!
“That drone with a gun has been a hot topic online, so here’s a video of a cat with self-chambering, fully-automatic cannon.”
In the end, it looks like @FRISK_P wasn’t really able to get the cat to wear the cannon, which would have basically turned it into a cat tank. Still, the photo above is a powerful image—one which will no doubt haunt dogs for the rest of their days.
▼ The video also shows how the cannon was made.
▼ The Twitter user also built this steampunk amplifier…
▼ …and this steampunk “ray gun,” which seems to use a small Van Der Graaf generator.
▼ There’s also a weather reading device that doesn’t seem to be entirely accurate.
▼ And finally, here’s @FRISK_P’s steampunk keyboard!
Be sure to check out this video of the keyboard in action! You can skip to around the one-minute mark if you want to get right to the music part. It sounds and looks pretty damn cool if you ask us!
Clearly, @FRISK_P is pretty talented when it comes to electronics and creating awesome stuff. In fact, we’d like to place a few orders for those cat cannons…for research purposes only, of course!
Source: Twitter/@FRISK_P
Featured image: Twitter 1, 2, 3