DIY Daft Punk
DIY Daft Punk. Courtesy Pedro Ruiz
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It was 18 years ago this month that Daft Punk released their first studio album, Homework. The electronic-music duo’s robotic persona recently inspired Pedro Ruiz, creative technologist at Adafruit, to do a little homework of his own. It took Ruiz three days, and enough plastic to stretch the length of three football fields, to 3-D print a replica of Daft Punk’s trademark helmets. For extra pizzazz, he added programmable LEDs. Even non-fans can enjoy the helmet, Ruiz says: “It’s great for scaring your small child when they act up!”

PRINT Customize the 3-D–printing files to fit by measuring your head just above the ears.
LIGHT Ruiz glued six battery-powered LED strips inside the plastic visor and taped over it before painting the rest of the helmet gold.
WEAR While the visor shows off the LEDs, it doesn’t allow clear vision. Ruiz’s tip: “Have a friendly spotter to watch where you step.”

This article was originally published in the January 2015 issue of Popular Science, under the title “3-D Print A Daft Punk Helmet”.

DIY Daft Punk
DIY Daft Punk Courtesy Pedro Ruiz