Popular Mechanics

Discover the latest in technology, engineering, and tools with Popular Mechanics. Plus, get essential advice on your home and car, useful DIY ideas, in-depth explanations on how things work, and more!

Work Music

EVERYWHERE • WHAT WE’RE UP TO BEYOND THESE PAGES

A New Twist on an Old Project

LARGE PHOTO OF THE MONTH

GLOBAL HACKERS’ NEXT TARGET: STARTUPS • Foreign adversaries are stealing technologies from American firms—and young companies are at high risk.

How Startups Can Stay Safe

OUR FAVORITE HALLOWEEN COSTUME

THE ONE THING • For their new book, What We Keep, Bill Shapiro and Naomi Wax talked to hundreds of people—counterfeiter, Eagle Scout, astronaut, Melinda Gates—about the one thing they hold onto far past the point of practicality, and why it still matters.

THE HORROR SHOW • EVERY YEAR, 1,400 DESIGNERS, BUILDERS, ARTISTS, AND EFFECTS SPECIALISTS TRANSFORM UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ORLANDO INTO A MONTHLONG HALLOWEEN EXPERIENCE.

THE HIGH-POWERED WORLD OF GAMING PCS • They’re big, loud, expensive, and so much fun that you’ll forget all about the first three qualities. Here’s how to navigate the acronyms and buy one that will send you to Twitch stardom.

HOME OFFICE UPGRADE • For years, I worked in what’s now called the gig economy, where you can clock in from anywhere with decent Wi-Fi. Here’s new tech that will make that kind of job even better.

ANALOG INSTANT CAMERA

My Patent Story • Before there’s a patent, there’s an idea. Before that, there’s a person with a problem to solve.

The Stack • Philly is a workingman’s town, and Shane Solomon of Stella is a workingman’s chef. This is what he wants you to eat tonight.

Herb in the Whiskey • A distiller embraces wormwood, the crazy-making ingredient in absinthe.

You Want a Pony • The Ford Mustang GT means American muscle is getting stronger.

Car Technology’s Visibility Problem • Human or machine, we all have blind spots.

LOVE THE THIRD WHEEL • YAMAHA’S NEW DOUBLE-FRONT-WHEEL NIKEN MOTORCYCLE IS NOT A TRIKE. IT’S A BLAST.

1988 Chevrolet Camaro

THE LIFE TOGETHER • Nick Troutman and Emily Jackson have a house in Tennessee, but that’s not where they live. They live on the water. Nearly ten months out of the year, they load the family in the RV and chase the best white water in the country.

THE SHOPPABLE LIFE

BIG CITIES’ HIDDEN TECH • Your guidebook to the inventions that are quietly transforming urban hubs across the United States.

The New Vintage First - Generation Electric Mobility • Light weight electric vehicles (LEV), now ubiquitous, first became practical in the late 2010 s. 1 Here are that era’s modern classics.

The Compliant Civilian’s Guide to Surveillance Cameras • All the hidden hardware helping law enforcement keep cities safer, maybe!

Your New Everyday Carry • The idea of EDC originated as insurance against a society that was possibly crumbling. In today’s digital city, it’s a set of things that helps you make sense of a society that’s definitely over whelming.

The (Very) Late Adopter’s Guide to E-SPORTS • Video games have over taken T-sports (traditional sports) in viewership. If you’ve never seen a live competition, find the next one in your city, and follow these steps to get the most out of it.

Project RESURRECT AN ATM • The original automated job-killer is a sophisticated security machine that can do anything.1

Welcome to the Microgrid! • The basics for getting wired with the next generation of electronic infrastructure — especially if you live in Texas.

THE INCREDIBLES • TRUE STORIES OF INDEFATIGABLE RESEARCHERS, ENGINEERS, CHAMPIONS HEROIC AND OF NEUROSCIENCE WHO ARE FINALLY TURNING THE CORNER IN THE...