10/3/2018 Updated 10/3/2018

Wacky World of Rubber: Rubber bands reach to 'Infinity'

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By Kyle Brown Follow Author

If you're trying to figure out a costume for a party later this month, maybe this rubber-band-powered project could lend a hand.

I've seen projects similar to this done with a more bare-bones approach, but YouTuber MCKook takes on the challenge of building a huge gauntlet out of DIY materials to mimic the cosmic-powered Infinity Gauntlet from the "Avengers: Infinity War" movie earlier this year.

What's more, it's not just a glove. It actually works, thanks to the power of cardboard, string and some rubber bands.

MCKook carefully cuts out chunks of cardboard and routes both string and rubber bands through them, acting as tendons in what will be monstrous cardboard phalanges. They stack those cardboard chunks to provide support and a movable framework. Watching the test of the fingers' responsiveness is like watching them come to life, thanks to the elasticity of the rubber bands.

The fingers are attached to a cardboard palm, and string runs down to some zip ties that can be manipulated from inside to make the fingers move.

That could be enough on its own, but MCKook takes it even further, pouring epoxy resin molds for the individual magical stones, which are lit by the glow of, I'm not kidding, LED lights wired up inside the glove to an on/off switch hidden on the back.

They make a big show of popping some balloons with the giant hand, but I'm a little skeptical of its actual strength. Either way, it's an incredible construction, and rubber bands help sell the motion so the fingers don't flop about lifelessly when not contracted.

For players at home, this is definitely a 'measure twice, cut once' situation, and the actual build here might be a little over the top for most. But maybe it can inspire a smaller-scale (but equally impressive) prop like a robot claw or alien hand for a great Halloween costume this season.

Kyle Brown is a reporter for Rubber & Plastics News who watched a lot of Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye while growing up. Follow him on Twitter at @kbrownRPN.