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You didn’t think we’d let this one go without a followup, did you? Portal gun replica creator Harrison Krix was gracious enough to invite us to his workshop and get some hands-on time with it. Let’s get the two most common inquiries out of the way first: no, it’s not photoshopped and no, it doesn’t actually “work” (as in, it doesn’t create portals). The armament weighs between five or ten pounds, and all color shifting is done via a switch inside the back end. The middle tube, interestingly enough, is an acrylic plunger handle with a clear matte. The 26-year old graphic designer and graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design estimates he spent 150 hours and $350 in parts, although later models should take much less time. He’s had offers to create more iterations from employees at Bungie and Infinity Ward, and he’s thinking of making one to give to the Penny Arcade crew for their Child’s Play charity. For a look at it both in action and disassembled, check out the video after the break. Next up? A BioShock Big Daddy costume, with arm extensions and a working drill, just in time for next August’s Dragon Con in Atlanta.

Galleries

Hands-on with the Portal gun replica

Portal gun replica (work in progress)

Portal gun replica build images and wiring

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Flipping on a light switch usually doesn’t require much in the way of cranial fortitude, but mount three or four of the things in a row and it’s Concentration time whenever you try to flick the right one. Japanese graphic designer Mac Funamizu feels your shame, imagining a conceptual wall-mounted touchpad to end the confusion and inadvertent light shows. With his invention you’d simply drag your finger toward the light you want to turn on, do it again to turn it off, or make a circular sweep to illuminate the whole room. It certainly seems a bit more useful than other switches we’ve covered in the past, but until we see a version that will register our gestures from the couch we’ll stick with our Clappers, thank you very much.

Update: Taku commented to point out a strangely similar though seemingly completely unrelated prototype from London-based designer Edward Horsford. It offers the same functionality plus adds ridges.

[Via Engadget German]
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