I designed and constructed this prop portable life support system for a TV show. In the show bible it's described working by holding colonies in the lower tank that are super anaerobic bacteria that scrub the waste gases from the user and releasing air when they respire. I literally wrote an entire book on the process because I design for function. Making it look cool is the hard part.

Since this was working within a budget I know that it cost $500 usd to make. This was right before we got a 3D printer. Now it would cost in the realm of $200 usd.

Making real things has helped me, big time over the years as I'm able to illustrate budget conscious designs. I know exactly how much and how long an object will take to make.

It's also just plain cool to make something with my hands.