Pirate Ship Engineering Marvel at Burning Man

 This Pirate ship called the Lost Ship, seeing here cruising the hi desert seas of Burning Man is modern marvel of art and engineering. For more details I would suggest going to their blog so you can see a more detailed view of how they put it all together.

Captain Andy started dreaming of a pirate ship with a huge mechanized wheel during his first visit to Burning Man in 2004. As a structural engineer and experienced metal sculptor, Andy has a head full of design know-how, a knack for aesthetics, and a drive to creatively reuse and salvage metals that are otherwise bound for the recycle bin. The prospect of creating an “art car” from scratch gave him an opportunity to combine these three gifts on a grand scale. Six years later the Pirate ship made its maiden voyage to this years Burning Man. via

Milking it at Burning Man on Milktropolis Mutant Vehicle

The Milktropolis mutant vehicle was built by Jon Zensius, Bob Dow, Natalie Zensius and Stephanie Rose for this years burning man event. This project took 9 months of hard work and was a test of their skills, friendships and marriages. It's wood and fiberglass and a wee bit of steel in the corners on a Ford Explorer body. The Cereal Bowl seats 8 and the carton accommodates 4. There are 100 hand sewn cereal shaped pillows in the bowl for comfort. It's driven from up in the carton area and the drive train is done with bike chains from steering wheel to a home brew rotor and back to steering wheel. Gas and brakes are controlled via one of the former power window motors. It also has over 5000 LED lights for night time driving, that runs on a 1000w portable generator. Passengers have the pleasure of entering Milktropolis via a "spoon" ladder and exit via a pool slide. It was a huge hit and we will returning in 2011 with a few modifications in case you missed it but my only question is 1% or 2%???

Watch Burning Man Live NOW!!! - via Ustream

I just added a live  burning man feed via ustream for those of us that decided to stay home and avoid the 7 deadly hassles. Cant wait to post more mutant vehicles from this years event.

inCARnation - Apocalypse Mobile/Time Machine

inCARnation - Apocalypse Mobile/Time Machine

inCARnation, the Apocalypse Mobile/Time Machine was sent in by Meg (Hint, the one with the pink hair). It was built over the course of a few years at her apartment in Minneapolis and is under constant construction. The frame is an early 1990s Honda Accord that belonged to Adam. Adam Lutterman (Atom), Andy Rennert (MN Phatts) and Meg (Dee Zaster) all contributed to its creation. They take it to Burning Man every year and it made its debut this year at the Houston Art Car Parade and promise to be back, I guess that's the time machine aspect of the inCARnation. They also participate in Art Car events in the Twin Cities on a regular basis. They are beginning work on radically altering the appearance, but the plans are under wraps. It will be bigger and badder the next time around, so keep a look out!

Mondo Spider - Electric Powered 8 legged walking machine

Mondo Spider

The Mondo Spider is a 1600 lb, 8 legged walking machine originally built by a Vancouver-based team of artists and engineers in 2006. Initially gas-powered, the spider has been converted to run entirely on battery power, making it the world's first 100% electric, zero-emissions walking vehicle. This vehicle will be at this weeks Maker Fair


Mondo Spider from flimflamfilms on Vimeo.

The Many Faces of the Solar Chariot

I have seen this solar chariot in many outfits during the past three years at Maker Fair first as George Bush the "American Gladiator", then Arnold Schwarzenegger as the "Solinator" and last year as Barack Obama as the "Obama Bot". I am sure I will be seeing the solar chariot again this year as who knows what.

Bob Schneeveis has a science and engineering associate at Stanford’s department of neurobiology, and is responsible for building this robot charioteer to test out the efficiency of legs versus wheels. The experiment was successful, as the charioteer moves alarmingly fast, with emanating metallic chunking noises that you’d expect from a robotic biped. Bob charges his charioteer using solar panels along with his other vehicle a sparrow that he uses to go about his daily business.

Arnold as the Solinator by skuarua

Barack Obama as the Obama Bot by Stephen Bowline

George Bush the American Gladiator by dtweney

Riot Wheel - Burly Motorized Big Wheel

Riot Wheel is a 1000lb monster motorized big wheel with the driver up front that took about 18 months to build. It was built for a trip to Burning Man and was an instant hit, and since then has been featured on Discovery Channel’s Monster Nation. The Riot Wheel video at Burning Man is a must see!!!

Easter Bunny Furball Art Car Madness - And More!!

With Easter on its way this weekend, I though it appropriate to explore the world of cute furry bunny art cars from around the world. There are a variety of the Easter Art Car wonders making the rounds this year, hiding eggs and scaring small children. From art cars to motorcycles with men in bunny suites, we have it all, enjoy, and Happy Easter!!!

Furry VW Bunny Art Car


Rex Rabbit Art Car


Pink VW Art Car


Burning Man Bunny Party Float


Burning Man Bunny Slippers

And we digress with a few more bunny's on wheels. This is the more part.

Fun and Unsafe Mad Max Mutant Vehicle at Burning Man.

by Simon Blanc.

I am not sure what this is but it has a Mad Max feel to it, on the extremely unsafe side of the spectrum. So there is no side, or rear impact protection but their is front end roll bar with a massive spare tire. Trunk space is minimal but the spare tire doubles up as a passenger seat with a fantastic view. I would say unsafe at any and all speeds with a rating of -10 but totally fun to drive around burning man, a rating of +10.

The Front Porch, hold the house.

The Front Porch on wheels

via

The Front Porch is probably in a category all by it self but it comes in handy when all you want to do is hang out on the front porch. The nice thing about this is that you can sit on the front porch and enjoy the sunrise and the sunset. You can take it with you any place and do all the "front porch" stuff you normally enjoy anywhere, anytime you want. I'll have a house hold the house just the porch please. The possibilities are endless, I love it.

The Electrobite Olenoides or just A Trilobite Vehicle

Trilobite Vehicle in the day time

Trilobite Vehicle with the lights on

via

Its been way over a month since my last art car entry, but I am back and ready to tackle and art car a day maybe two just catch up. What better way to get back in the game than with The Electrobite Olenoides, a wonderful metal trilobite vehicle that you can ride around on, build from an electric wheelchair . It was created for Burning Man 2009 by Jon Sarriugarte and Kyrsten Mate of Form & Reform, the same guys who made the SS Alpha Fox and Golden Mean Snail Car. You can get a better idea of this neat vehicle in this Boing Boing episode.

Gonzo Mutant Vehicle

via
And just for fun, for the those of you who just got back from burning man this year, I bring you Gonzo the Mutant Vehicle. And for those of you who have not gone to Burning Man and never will because everyone and their mother has gone to Burning Man, I suggest you check out a nice alternative event at the same location called Burning Toast Man.

NX-1337 Flame Thrower Art Car

NX-1337 Flame Thrower Art Car

NX-1337 Flame Thrower Art Car in action

by jurvetson
Don't know much about the NX-1337 Flame Thrower Art Car but It seems to be at every event. Its also the vehicle featured on the Maker Faire Button every hear so cudos to you NX-1337 Flame Thrower Art Car owner. Hopefully I will see you in about 9 hours and find out more about you.It sorta looks like a meter maid car out of a star treck movie or something. When you park your star ship illegally in dock 54 you get flamed.

Lunapillar Mutant Vehicle - Human Transport at Maker Faire

Lunapillar Mutant Vehicle

The Lunapillar is a mobile kinetic sculpture created by Jeff and Lisa Hannan insired by the whimsy of recycled and found materials. This mutant vehicle will transport groups of people around the Maker Faire this weekend in comfort and bliss, I can't to get my ride in style.

Hennepin Crawler by Krank-Boom-Clank

Hennepin Crawler at Burning Man

Hennepin Crawler at Handcar Regatta 2008

This four wheeled pedal powered monster is called the Hennepin Crawler and created by a group called Krank-Boom-Crank . They are a kinetic industrial arts collective located in Santa Rosa, CA, who made this giant mutant vehicle from about 90% recycled material, such as:

• Discarded lawn furniture
• VW Bug & antique Cadillac parts
• Old wooden furniture
• Industrial culvert pipe & aviation wire
• Plenty of old bike bits
• Other minor found parts

Neverwas Haul - Self-propelled 3-story Victorian House

Neverwas Haul at Burning Man



Its the week before Maker Faire and I want to dedicate this week to all the cool art vehicles that will be attending. The first is the Neverwas Haul a self-propelled 3-story Victorian House inspired by the works of Jules Verne. Its made from 75% recycled equipment and materials. It measures 24 feet long by 24 feet high and 12 feet wide and is built on the base of a 5th wheel travel trailer. It was created and designed by Shannon O'Hare, and will be appearing at this years Maker Faire in San Mateo California. Whats amazing about it is that it is mobile as you can see from the picture above. You can also go inside and be instantly transformed into another world.

Extinct Auto Industry - Or just a Dinosaur Mutant Vehicle

by dgjert

Why is it that I find the weirdest stuff late night? Does this Dinosaur Mutant Vehicle run on fossil fuel? Is this a picture of the American auto industry? Is this a prehistoric SUV that went extinct? All I know is that its a stark picture of things to come. Eat something your too skinny.

First Ever Desert Jet Ski-Margaritaville Jet Ski

here is the skinny on this first ever Desert Jet Ski via

When the project started early November 2003 I knew exactly what I was after: “The Evolution of a Jet Ski”. I was in search of a watercraft to build my little bit of Paradise. A friend of mine showed up with this poor, mistreated, abused and beaten body of a wave runner. I went to work on her. And when I fired up the first set of lights on her engine cowl and stood in front of her, I knew that she was in fact alive and ready for her new life. Rita was built from a 10 ft Kawasaki wave runner and a Murray lawn tractor. (best thing that ever happened to a Murray). It was literally like attaching a 2x4 to a rock! Now She is an Art Car. An Art Car is a vehicle that is transformed into art, where Her body becomes the canvas.

Rita now sits on a John Deere frame as of 7/12/08. Ready to go with a hydrostatic transmission.

"End Times" Car - Less Art, More Armor

Only I can go from fashion week to mad max in one post but this Mad Max Bad Boy is freaking awesome. Some say we are living in the "end times" and if that is the case I want to be driving this around town when I go shopping for my $100 loaf of bread at Costco. That 's were I will be getting my $150 gallon of gas, 50 Caliber rounds, propane for my flame thrower, grease for my tank tracks, battery for the CB radio, DW40 for rusty hinges and turtle wax for the paint job. It tends to get a bit scuffed up when the vermin trying to steal my bread bounce of the hood at high speeds. Mad Max eat your heart out, I bet you didn't have bullet proof front wheels like these.

Simpsons Three Eyed Mutant Fish is back!!!

Isn't this the three eyed mutant fish from the Simpsons? Well it apparently turned up at Burning Man only much bigger and with a more vibrant glow.