3D Printed Fractal Cube Originated in Second Life

In December 2007 Henry Segerman, a.k.a. Second Life avatar Seifert Surface, designed a "Hilbert Cube" using Second Life's then simplistic 3D model creation tools and some tricky Python software. While this interesting object was for years used only within Second Life's virtual world, there's been a recent change: you can now 3D print this item and make the virtual object real. Wagner James Au reports on his New World Notes blog the Hilbert's transformation from a virtual to real and recommends buying it as a holiday gift. 

 

Segerman evidently used the same algorithm to generate a printable 3D model and uploaded it to Shapeways where anyone can buy their own Hilbert Cube. But unlike Second Life, where objects are mere pixels, this one can be made of plastic, stainless steel or even gold! But we think you might choose flexible plastic, in which case the cube could be used as a hair accessory. See, higher level mathematics is useful after all. 

 

Via New World Notes and Shapeways (Hat tip to Hamlet)