Make Magazine has produced a complete list of open source hardware projects, ranging in categories from 3D Printing, Arduino, Clocks, Development Platforms, Green Energy, Games, Medical, Robotics and many other areas. The category of interest to us, is of course, 3D printing. There we find the major open projects listed:

• Contraptor
• Fab@Home
• MakerBeam
• MakerBot
• RepRap

And that is indeed the list of the major projects, but we wonder whether there are other smaller projects that might be considered for such a list? Over the past two years we've written on several independent projects attempting various angles on 3D printing. But at least so far, none have reached the heights these five have made.

Via Make

Contraptor is a DIY open source construction set for experimental personal fabrication, desktop manufacturing, prototyping and bootstrapping. Various Cartesian robots can be quickly assembled from Contraptor and used as a platform for projects such as XY plotter, mini CNC machine, 3D printer etc.

One of the original project goals is manufacturability at home with only basic tools, using inexpensive materials and parts readily available in hardware stores and online, with cost in the range of $400 and without the need for a custom-manufactured kit.

The Novint Falcon is an entirely new type of game controller. Replacing your mouse or joystick, the Falcon is, essentially, a small robot that lets you experience true virtual touch unlike any controller in history.

The Novint Falcon lets you control a game in three dimensions, and also lets you feel high-fidelity three-dimensional force feedback. The Falcon controller moves right and left, forwards and backwards, like a mouse, but also moves up and down. When you hold the Falcon’s detachable Grip and move your cursor to interact with a virtual object, environment, or character, motors in the device turn on and are updated approximately 1000 times a second, letting you feel texture, shape, weight, dimension, and dynamics. The Falcon lets you control and interact with games in more realistic way, allowing you to develop real physical skill and muscle memory, adding a new dimension to gaming.

Our sense of touch connects us to the world around us and is an integral part of how we experience things, both physically and emotionally.  In the past, games have incorporated increasingly sophisticated graphics and sound design, but none have added realistic touch, until now. The award-winning Novint Falcon makes virtual items and experiences feel real. Hold the Falcon’s interchangeable Grip and feel a character’s actions, instead of controlling a game with mouse-clicks and meters.  Feel the weight of a basketball as you shoot it towards a hoop -- the momentum and impact as you swing a virtual golf club and strike a ball -- the recoil of a weapon – or the physical characteristics of virtual objects and environments.

designed for working in a virtual 3D environment with a sense of touch … Real world interaction with a virtual 3D model or surface leads to an intuitive style of working, much more engaging and creative than conventional means of interfacing with 3D modelling and design programmes.