DIY Mesocosm

February 27, 2026 Lutin

Mesocosms are controlled environments that simulate nature in an enclosed space. They are often used for experiments, but they are also a fun and convenient way to grow plants, because they are completely self-sustaining. In this article, we will teach you how to make a small DIY mesocosm.

Materials:

An airtight transparent jar
Water
Small rocks or pebbles
Charcoal
Wet soil
Organic coffee filter or Sphagnum moss
Small plants and moss
Parafilm (optional)

Tools:

Scissors
Shovel
Hammer
Mister (optional)

Step 1: Put a layer of pebbles about an inch thick at the bottom of the mason jar. This is for water drainage to make sure that the plants don’t drown

Step 2: Crush up some charcoal with the hammer until it is mostly a powder with some small pieces. The charcoal should just be enough to have a thin coating on top of the rocks. This will absorb moisture and prevent mold from growing.

Step 3: Make a barrier between these layers and the next ones using either an organic coffee filter or sphagnum moss. We used a coffee filter because we did not have any sphagnum moss, but if you have both, we recommend using the moss. If using the coffee filter, use the scissors to cut a circle out of it that fits perfectly in the jar. If using sphagnum moss, make a thin layer that completely covers the charcoal.

Step 4: Divide the remaining space in half and fill half of it with damp soil. If your soil is too dry, add water. This layer should be very thick but there should still be room for air on top and for the plants to grow taller. Don’t worry about having insects in the soil, they will not negatively effect the mesocosm, and are also self-sustaining.

Step 5: Find some plants and moss. Make sure that your plants are not too big, because they will continue growing inside the mesocosm. We recommend using plants like ferns and moss that love high humidity environments, but you can use any. Once you are done, use a mister to spray it with water, or carefully water it. The goal is for the mesocosm to be sealed forever, so make sure you water it enough.

Step 6: If not using Parafilm, skip this step. Cut the Parafilm into strips almost an inch thick. Then peel off the backing and carefully stretch it as far as it can go without breaking. Stretch it around the rim of the jar and use several strips to make sure it is fully sealed. It might take a few tries to get this right.

Step 7: leave the mesocosm in a place with sunlight. The plants need sunlight to grow, and the heat will help make the mesocosm’s own water cycle.

If the mesocosm has any problems, like it doesn’t have enough water, or starts growing mold, you can unseal it to fix the issue before resealing it.

Congratulations, you have completed you DIY mesocosm!

Happy creating!

Small Wooden Harp

November 20, 2025November 9, 2025 Lutin

Here is a very old project that we had a lot of fun on but forgot to post about. This is our wooden harp, made in 2019, that we made after our ukuleles. This project was very simple, but never worked correctly. Here is a description of the harp and some changes we would make if we were to do this same project today.

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please read our disclaimer.

The harp has a classic triangular design, with one guitar tuner and one long string. The string is attached to the frame using screws. The whole thing is very small and light, you can hold it in one hand. A main problem was that there was not a big difference between the different notes on the harp. It was also hard to play the strings one by one because they were too cramped.

If the HipMonsters team were to make this project again, we would add more than one guitar tuner so you would have different sounds. After looking at pictures of smaller harps online, we noticed that many do not have the classic triangular design, but instead a more rectangular or ovular shape. By using that shape instead of the triangular one, the strings would be less cramped. The thick frame of the wooden harp also makes it look more messy and unwieldy, so we would either use thinner wood or make the harp larger.

Looking back on old projects is a great way to see growth. This harp was very creative, and it was impressive at the time, but there are many ways we would improve this.

Happy Creating!

SMASH: Stem Madness at Saratoga High

November 9, 2025November 26, 2025 Lutin

Members of the 6165 MSET Cuttlefish, the Saratoga High School FIRST robotics team, noticed tons of pumpkins get tossed after Halloween only to end up rotting in landfills, where they release greenhouse gases even more harmful than carbon dioxide. Since composting isn’t yet widespread in their area, the Cuttlefish decided to take action.

For the past two years, they’ve hosted SMASH: STEM Madness at Saratoga High, a fun, hands-on event where they smash pumpkins in creative ways to promote composting and environmental awareness, while also sparking interest in STEM. Last year, over 200 attendees smashed over 650 pounds of pumpkins!

This year the Hip Monster’s team presented. We had a lot of fun, met some wonderful people, and were very impressed by the Cuttlefish team!

It was a perfect day for a festival and the Saratoga High School is beautiful with tall trees scattered throughout the campus.

We brought Number Three and Number Eight. Here is a little girl using the touch sensor on Number Three.

And here is some adults trying out Number Three.

Here are the 6165 MSET Cuttlefish robots in action.

Kids loved having a second Halloween and several dressed up in their Halloween costumes.

They had vendors and activities, to make this festival more interactive. There were also booths for organizations, like the public library and several clubs in the school.

The main event, Pumpkin Smashing! People could pick out a pumpkin, weigh it, then wait for their pumpkin to be called for it to be smashed. You could also choose to carve the pumpkin. The person who chose the pumpkin gets to press the button themselves, making it a fun and interactive process.

Here is a pumpkin being smashed. There were many different smashing machines for different sizes pumpkins. Our favorite was a hydraulic sledge hammer with 20 pounds of crushing force.

If you live in the Bay Area, make sure to attend next year.

Hope you find inspiration!

Making KB’s Visor from Star Wars Skeleton Crew Part 1

August 21, 2025November 9, 2025 Lutin

Maker Faire 2025

July 30, 2025July 30, 2025 Lutin

We are very excited to announce HipMonsters.com will be presenting RobotFreedom at this year’s Bay Area Maker Faire, September 26 through September 28th at Mare Island! We have been training our emotional robots for over a year, living with them, playing with them and watching them grow. Come see our robots in action live!

Here is a recap of the 2024 Bay Area Maker Faire to give you a preview of what to expect. These are some of our favorite exhibits, from an underwater robot explorer to a giant inflatable cuttlefish car.

This is the Maker Faire Bazaar, where visitor can find all sorts of handmade goods, like dice, pottery, and even 3d-printed hot chocolate.

This is a big working model of the solar system that is the size of a room. All of the planet’s orbit times are proportional to the real ones.

This is a small model of a bakery with working lights and miniature baked goods.

This is an old battlebot, complete with two giant spikes in front and four googly eyes (Maker Faire 2023).

This is the Humanoid Robot Comedy Show. These robots can move their faces to show facial expressions and look you in the eyes while they tell jokes.

This robot is built for battle. This is one of the robots that fights in an arena against other robots. It is remote controlled and has arms that can swing around.

This is Dalek FAX, a remote controlled model of a Dalek that moves and talks.

This small robot is built by ROV Tour: Underwater Robotics Adventure. They are remote controlled and have cameras that can show footage of its underwater adventures.

And the award winning After.AI whose 3D printed mechanical flip signs were so fun to watch!

This amazing clock uses a whole wall full of gears to tell time.

This is a part of Serenity, an art exhibit showing three insects that shoot fire at a press of a button (Maker Faire 2023).

These are parts of Astro Botanicals Space Garden, which is a collection of glowing handmade inflatable plants.

This is Sepia Lux, a giant inflatable cuttlefish car that lights up. The tentacles and the fins of the cuttlefish can move, and the eyes can change colors.

This is a truck inspired by a beetle complete with wings and a bright green shell.

This is a peacock vehicle that lights up and moves.

We are looking forward to seeing you all at this year Bay Area Maker Faire!

Hope you find inspiration!

Sensor Array Mounts Part Two

July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Lutin

This is our working solution for making secure sensor array mounts for our robots. Because the first one failed, we made many changes based on what worked well and what didn’t.

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please take a look at our disclaimer.

The Video below shows us making a model for the sensors.

Now we pour silicon over the clay model to make a model.

Once the silicon is dry we removed the clay model.

To get the metal finish we mix in brown dye and copper pounder into the resin then put it into the cast.

It you look closely you can see the resin flowing as it dries.

We carefully remove the resin from the molds.

‘A bit of light sanding finishes it off.

Now we attach the sensors.

Finically, Number Three has a stable sensor mount!

Happy creating!

Sensor Array Mounts Part One

July 10, 2025July 13, 2025 Lutin

To make a sensor array mount for the robot, we wanted to try using resin molds. This experiment did not work as intended, but we wanted to share how our experiment went and maybe find a use for the resin pieces in the future. Here is a link to our working solution.

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please take a look at our disclaimer.

First, we laid out our basic design of the sensor array mount using square wooden dowels. Then we traced the design using a markers on a piece of plywood to help guide us later.

Next, we glued the dowels together using hot glue to create a frame. We made sure the joints were tight and leak proof so the resin wouldn’t spill out.

Then we glued the mold to the plywood and put an extra layer of hot glue on the outside. We lined everything with a mixture of one part vegetable oil and one part dish soap to help the resin would separate from the mold. Then we poured the resin into the mold.

We store the mold in a secure location making sure it was laying flat.

While the process did give us a cast, the mold had to be destroyed to get the resin out. The homemade releasing agent did not work, and caused the clear resin to turn green and oily. The design also ended up not aligning as well as we needed. For making resin molds, we recommend not using dish soap or vegetable oil because it will interfere with the resin’s color and make it oily and sticky even after it dries. However, it did make it easy to separate the resin from the mold. We also learned to not make the mold out of wood. Back to the drawing board!

Happy Creating!

Hummingbirds and Bees

June 26, 2025July 13, 2025 Lutin

It is that time of the year where our yard comes to life with flowers, which bring hummingbirds and bees. As we have mentioned in an early post, we designed part of our yard to encourage wildflowers and native pollinators. That one post convinced Google our site was a gardening site, so we have been reluctant to do another post, but this year was so beautiful we decided to risk it and share. If you want to encourage wildflowers, read our tips here.

Here is a list of the flowers pictured above: Alstromeria, senecio stellata, daisy, yellow roses, pink azaleas, red and yellow sparaxis, foxgloves, and more! Some of these are native wildflowers that just grew in of yard, while others were planted.

Here is a video of some wildflowers in our garden.

Happy Creating!

Securing Wires on Number Two and Number Three

June 19, 2025July 13, 2025 Lutin

We take Number Two and Number Three on the road a lot. While we are now experts at rewiring them after a long road trip, we started testing new ways for securing wires while still letting kids see how the robots were put together. After many designs, we settled on using clear silicon pneumatic tubes. The tube protect and secure the wires but still allow people to see how the wires attach.

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please take a look at our disclaimer.

This video shows us taping the wires.

This video is us splitting the clear tubes down the middle to fit in the wires.

This video shows the process of wrapping the wires in the tube.

This is the final result.

Happy Creating!

Number 2’s and Number 3’s New Legs

June 12, 2025July 13, 2025 Lutin

From last year’s Bay Area Maker Faire we learned a lot about what is the right and wrong way for our robots to move. Our first designs did not work well on the rough and uneven surfaces, and our bi-pedal design fell over before the gates even opened. From that experience, we have opted for a centaur design for the new legs, leveraging a more powerful engine, a collapsible design, and gears.

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please take a look at our disclaimer.

The legs are more simple overall but still require a lot of parts. We moved to using hardwood for the critical components for its strength.

Our design changed a lot from the one at last year’s Maker Faire. First, each leg has two wheels connected to a axel. The motor turns the axel via a chain. The biggest change is the legs now fold and unfold to make transportation easier.