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Let Ben Solve Your Holiday Woes

makerkaren

It's that time of year again and Ben needs your help!

No matter which holiday you celebrate, this time of year can be tough. Ben wants to build a gadget to solve one of your holiday problems. So tell us! What could Ben build to make your holiday a little easier?

Do you need an indoor snowmaker?

How about a digital nametag to put on your presents?

Roomba hot cocoa dispenser to follow you around?

 

Let us know!

  • A santa-trap image

    you could rig up through-beams and motion detectors...

  • in reply to kerbingamer376

    I love it! Would it be more of a Santa alarm system or an actual trap? I'm picturing a net-launcher...

  • Something with a holiday wreath. Maybe a holiday greeting? Or a spinning light wand that displays the wreath?

    Present Alarm - Catch people either snooping through the presents, or picture of them shaking the packages trying to find out what's inside.

    I'm a big fan of the Portable Cases. How about a fold up wrapping station (for those last minute gifts) (final scene of video - rushing to the store, pulls out wrapping station, wraps in car, sends gift sailing across room, and lands just in time for the waiting suspect to wake up and walk into the room). Includes tape, scissors, spare paper, I'm not sure what electronics can be included to help but I'm sure he can think of something.

    Automatic package delivering system. Or encrypted name tags with reader that tells the name after scanning.

    DIY music encoder - for animating lights to music.

    Unwrapping station/ tool kit - Toys these days are packaged extremely too well to try and cut down on theft. From cutting tape, to zip ties, twist ties, and screwed on plastic plates. Include advice for parents who package these toys to do so by removing the "stays" and including batteries, then repackage in boxes before wrapping.

  • in reply to kingrahl

    So many great ideas. A spinning light wreath would be really cool and now I'm tempted to make one. I would totally use that to change the colors and also messages on the wreath. I also personally love the DIY music encoder. I'm big into holiday decorating and would love to be able to just play my own music and have my lights 'dance" to it without having to buy the fancy lights that have that built in.

    Just really great ideas!

  • I'd like to re-up a previous build suggestion I had.

     

    A cookie factory. Made like a pizza oven out of one or two toaster ovens. Using a conveyor belt to send the next batch in to bake. When cooked they just fall into a bowl. You just have to place your cookie dough at the beginning of the cycle. Set the timer and when it is heated to the right temp it moves in to cook. It can stop the cookies at the edge of the conveyor to cool before dropping into a bowl.

  • I was reading the other suggestions and it got me thinking about cookies and santa traps.

     

    What about a trap that is triggered by the change in weight (Indiana Jones style) when a cookie is removed from a plate?

  • in reply to 1234jgs

    Fantastic! I'm getting some hilarious mental images.

  • I'm not a big fan of the "trap" idea. When I was a kid they always did the glimpse. You just caught a little bit of red around the corner or out the window. It's nice to keep the magic alive. If you do go trap, I'd suggest a camera. with a small delay on it, that way Santa isn't looking at the camera when it goes off.