Looking for a creative way to combine your DIY skills with Halloween? Check out IMT’s roundup of costumes infused with touches of tech and engineering.

Even in the shadow of a sluggish economy and lingering unemployment rates, people still want to have fun this fall. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), more adults will spend money on costumes this year (43.9 percent) than in 2010 (40.1 percent).

Even better for the do-it-yourselfer, 18.9 percent plan to make their own costume with the intention of creating something memorable, the NRF says.

What makes a stand-out costume? Here are a few creations that range from intricate engineering projects to more resourceful creations for every Halloween fanatic.

For Smartphone Addicts
While iPhones are prolific, one techie team last Halloween went so far as creating a life-size, wearable device with a working interface and an LED LCD panel. The creation, dubbed guyPhone 4, is powered by a mini 12v battery and features a back camera light. People can even access Facebook or play games, like on the hand-held version. The costume device came to life when one of the techie creators, John Savio, tweaked the iPhone software “to allow a live dual image output to the large 42″ LCD TV while maintaining the image in landscape mode.”

The project took 40 hours to complete, but less-intricate options for this type of creation exist. Tech enthusiast Regis Laborie’s blog AppleFriend provides a step-by-step DIY project to create a life-size iPhone replica in no more than 10 hours and costing $50.

Reports already indicate that costumes based on the wildly popular mobile app “Angry Birds” are flying off the shelves — not quite a technical outfit, but well-recognized by mainstream gamers. Twin Dragonfly Designs created five “Angry Birds” costumes (for the whole family!) and shows you how you can, too.

For Bot Builders
Iron Man, the classic superhero from the Marvel universe, was the inspiration behind a high-tech Cosplay costume created by DIYer Anthony Le. The impressive replica suit took Le 3-4 weeks to build, and is composed of materials that range from high-impact urethane and hybrid plastic. As Popular Science explains, the batteries that power the man-bot are situated within the frame of the suit, which cost Le upwards of $4,000 to build. While this level of cost or skill is probably out of the question for most, the creation would undoubtedly turn heads during a Halloween parade.

Shifting from the big screen to the small screen, some fanatics of the animated TV series Futurama might appreciate a DIY replica Bender. Instructables.com describes how to create a Bender costume from materials that include a sintra frame and styrene skin. While the project takes some patience and dedication (like all DIY projects), it’s only a fraction of the cost of the the Iron Man suit.

For LED Aficionados
Light-up costumes are a good option for those who want to add a tech-savvy touch with minimal cost. “Using neon wires, LED lights and small motors, anyone with a modicum of technical skill can create a high-tech costume sure to stand out from the crowd of ersatz pimps and sexy cats,” Live Science says.

For the marine science enthusiast, one easy-to-build costume only involves LED rope lights and a plastic washing basin to create a luminescent human jellyfish, with a step-by-step process on Instructables.com.

For cyberpunk ornithologists, a more complex creation includes LED wings, which operate using a battery pack or carbon dioxide cans, like robotics engineer J.P. Rishea‘s creation described by CNN.