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!”
| 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”.