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The BurritoB0t

This is a real 3D printer specifically designed to print delicious burritos – we’re not kidding! The BurritoB0t, a thesis project by maker Marko Manriquez, extrudes combinations of burrito components to dynamically construct, well, a custom-designed burrito.    Technically, the BurritoB0t is a straightforward modification and combination of RepRap-derived technologies. It’s based on the Hadron Bot, which… Continue reading The BurritoB0t

EOS Teams Up For Metal 3D Printing

3D printer manufacturer EOS has signed an agreement with Cookson Precious Metals to jointly develop a variety of applications related to metal 3D printing. According to the press release, “Under this agreement, both companies will introduce and further develop precious metal-based applications to the jewelry and watch industry”.    But what does this mean, exactly?… Continue reading EOS Teams Up For Metal 3D Printing

How Will 3DP Affect Your City?

An interesting piece in the Houston Business Journal written by Molly Ryan contemplates the effect of 3D printing on the city of Houston’s manufacturing sector.    Her investigation showed what most non-technical folks soon discover about 3D printing: you can make almost anything, but it will be more expensive than traditional manufacturing techniques. In other… Continue reading How Will 3DP Affect Your City?

A $34 Extruder?

Remember buying third-party parts for your car? They might have been less expensive, or better in some way and were fun to install and brag about. Now you can do the same on your 3D printer with QU-BD, who are launching a fundraising campaign for their new product: a replacement extruder that costs only USD$34. … Continue reading A $34 Extruder?

DIY Pioneer Dislikes 3D Printing???

A provocative headline at LiveScience proclaims: “Why a DIY Pioneer Dislikes 3D Printing”. The pioneer in this case is Neil Gershenfeld, director of MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms, someone who should know the space very well indeed.    It seems that Gershenfeld views the current state of “DIY” manufacturing as an extension of 1950’s… Continue reading DIY Pioneer Dislikes 3D Printing???

MakieLab Makes Makies

We’ve seen some very specific applications of 3D printing where end-users may choose limited customization for picture frames, robots, etc. Today we’re looking at Makielab’s Makies. They’re 10 inch tall customized figurines designed by you.    Similar to other services, you must choose from several customizable dimensions: Hair style, Eyebrow shape (selecting a slider for… Continue reading MakieLab Makes Makies

3D Printed Fish Breeding Gear

We’ve seen many applications of 3D printing to a wide variety of situations, but this one is pretty interesting: Indiana-based research scientist Shane Graber has been using his MakerBot to produce a variety of specialized items for his salt-water fish breeding experiments.    He’s designed an incredibly simple brine hatchery composed of a base that’s… Continue reading 3D Printed Fish Breeding Gear

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Categorized as Usage Tagged

B9 Is 350!

Some weeks ago we informed you on the new B9Creator resin-based 3D printer project on KickStarter. Resin 3D printers promise super-high resolution and fast prints, but they’re outside the mainstream personal 3D printing technology, which has been plastic extrusion.    We wondered how the community would react to the emergence and possibility of owning such… Continue reading B9 Is 350!

3D Scanning by UAVs

What’s that buzzing noise? It’s the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) hovering over your home, and now it could be taking a 3D scan of your house!    According to a report in PhysOrg, that scenario is now a possibility as researchers from the University of Granada in Spain have developed a way to combine 3D… Continue reading 3D Scanning by UAVs

3D Printed Voodoo

As the popularity of 3D printing increases, so does its attraction to designers of incredible things. One designer we’ve noticed is Rob Elford, whose Shapeways shop, Hoodoo Botanical, exemplifies how designers are working in the space. He’s been working on developing fashion accessories 3D printed in full color sandstone.    Successful designers tend to focus… Continue reading 3D Printed Voodoo

Fabberworld

Are you in need of supplies for your 3D printer? Do you live in Switzerland? If you answered yes to both questions, you’ll be pleased to learn that there is now a 3D printing supplies operation located in Switzerland: Fabberworld.   Fabberworld sells a selection of 3mm plastic filament, bearings, motors and even kapton tape.… Continue reading Fabberworld

The Importance of Clear

We’ve been fortunate to be able to examine some 3D printed objects from Objet in their Vero Clear material first hand. While we’ve seen clear (and clear-ish) items printed before, there seems to be advantages when used in a multi-material 3D printer.    A multi-material 3D printer can build objects in more than one material… Continue reading The Importance of Clear

Introducing TeamPlatform

Things are advancing from the days of local storage of 3D models and traditional online 3D repositories. Consider TeamPlatform, an online service dedicated to not only storage of 3D models but also the entire development process for producing 3D models.    The service operates on a subscription basis, where you are provided with an allocation… Continue reading Introducing TeamPlatform

Shapeways Gets Bendy

Shapeways, the popular 3D print service constantly experiments with new materials and perhaps they have the widest variety of materials one can select from. We’ve noticed they’re now offering a material with a unique property: it’s flexible!    The new material, appropriately named “Elasto Plastic” will be tested by Shapeways users until July 20th. Shapeways… Continue reading Shapeways Gets Bendy

A Visit With IPF

While in London recently we had a rather long lunch meeting with Gary Miller of IPF, a.k.a. Industrial Plastic Fabrications, a growing 3D print service based in the UK just outside of London. Also in attendance was Claire Russell-Jones, a publicist often providing service to Objet, manufacturers of commercial 3D printers.    Miller’s operation uses… Continue reading A Visit With IPF

Sculpteo Introduces Color Ceramics

Growing 3D print service Sculpteo has introduced a little bit of color to their ceramic material options. Today you can choose from these tasty glazing options: White Glossy, Oyster Blue, Tangerine Orange, Turquoise, Aquarius Blue, Satin Black, Anis Green and Lemon Yellow.   Not only will you receive colored objects, but they’ll be perfectly smooth… Continue reading Sculpteo Introduces Color Ceramics

Mcor’s Surprising Prints

During our visit to Rapid 2012 we were able to examine Mcor’s printed object quality directly. What we found was interesting.    First, you must know that Mcor’s process is unique in that the objects are printed not in plastic, but instead with common, everyday paper. This is very noticeable when you pick up and… Continue reading Mcor’s Surprising Prints

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Categorized as models Tagged

Up!’s Software Advantage

From the beginning, PP3DP’s Up! 3D printer produced wonderful prints, largely because of its sophisticated software. The software accepts a digital 3D model (in STL format) and converts it into instructions for the machine to actually build the physical model.    While most personal 3D printers use the open source Skeinforge utility in some way,… Continue reading Up!’s Software Advantage

You Can Help Makerspaces Today

Many Fabbaloo readers are members or supporters of Makerspaces – those amazing local labs offering the public the opportunity to gain low cost access to 21st century making equipment and expertise. From these establishments ideas become reality, experiments are resolved and businesses are born.    We’ve learned of a way you (yes, you) can directly… Continue reading You Can Help Makerspaces Today

That Sticky Cube

We managed to examine 3D Systems’ latest personal 3D printer, the Cube, in person at Rapid 2012. The colorful unit was much as we expected, but there was a surprise.    The print bed appeared glossy for some unknown reason. We wondered if the surface was made  that way and investigated with a finger. We… Continue reading That Sticky Cube

The Up! Mini Personal 3D Printer

The Up! personal 3D printer from China produces terrific output and it’s been around for a couple of years now – but now manufacturer Delta Microfactory Corporation announced an entirely new product: the Up! Mini. While they’re still going to offer the original Up!, the new Mini focuses on lowering costs.    The new product… Continue reading The Up! Mini Personal 3D Printer

The Fabbster’s Mechanism

One of the vendors on display at Rapid 2012 was Fabbster, makers of a very interesting 3D printer kit. At first glance the Fabbster appears to be yet another RepRap variant, but when you look closer there’s a very big difference.    The print material for the Fabbster is not standard, coiled plastic filament. It’s… Continue reading The Fabbster’s Mechanism

Want Your Shapeshot?

Strolling around Rapid 2012 we encountered an unusual service named ShapeShot. What do they do? Well, they shoot your shape.    ShapeShot is a project from Baltimore-based Direct Dimensions, a consultancy that specializes in 3D scanning projects. That’s what ShapeShot does: it scans your face and places it into an online repository. They feel it’s… Continue reading Want Your Shapeshot?

The Mcor Iris Color 3D Printer

Irish-based Mcor announced a new 3D printer: the Mcor Iris. The Iris is a major twist on their unique paper-based 3D printing approach; it provides full color 3D printing.    We examined a sample print (video above) at Rapid 2012 and found it to be an amazingly colorful landscape.    While some 3D printer manufacturers have… Continue reading The Mcor Iris Color 3D Printer

More 3D Printed Fashion from Rapid 2012

We’ve received additional images and now a video of the 3D printed fashion event held at Rapid 2012 this past week from NYC-based designer Aaron Trocola, who appears here with model Abbey – and wearing one of his works.     Aaron’s exceptional video of the 3D printed fashion show runway, intermixed with shots of several… Continue reading More 3D Printed Fashion from Rapid 2012

Sculpteo’s iPhone Case Contest

3D print service Sculpteo has launched an interesting contest for those interested in designing unique cases for iPhone 4’s. They’re seeking “the best iPhone 4 case that you could ever imagine with 3D printing”. Judging will be done by a panel composed of “design and 3D printing professionals and representatives of Sculpteo”.     Specifically… Continue reading Sculpteo’s iPhone Case Contest

Sculpteo OpenSCADs

A very interesting development appeared at the Sculpteo 3D print service: parameterized OpenSCAD.    Whoa, you say, what’s that? Let’s start at the beginning: OpenSCAD is a utility that can produce 3D models by using typed commands to create and bend shapes. Gradually a complex model is created by combining and bending enough shapes together.… Continue reading Sculpteo OpenSCADs

Self Powered 3D Printed Lamp

Designer Margot Krasojevic has developed a very unique piece: a 3D printed light that provides its own power. How does it do that, exactly?    The shape of the case is the secret. While it appears to be an attractive lamp, aerodynamically its actually a propeller! It’s mounted on a rotating axis connected to a… Continue reading Self Powered 3D Printed Lamp

Veloso 3D Printer Update

It’s not looking good for Junior Veloso’s 3D printer initiative. Two things have emerged that could well affect the success of Veloso’s high-resolution resin-based 3D printer project: Funding and Competition.     First, the funding. Veloso opened a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo with a goal of raising USD$300,000 by May 31st. As of this writing, the… Continue reading Veloso 3D Printer Update

MakerBot Relocates, Expands

MakerBot has evidently outgrown its current BotFarm location on Dean St. in Brooklyn, NY and has acquired new office space to expand its rapidly growing operations.    Now with a staff of 125, the company has grown significantly since 2009 when its three founders were the only employees. Originated in the tiny “BotCave”, they expanded… Continue reading MakerBot Relocates, Expands

Vortex Salt and Pepper

There are tons of 3D designs available from a variety of sources these days. Some are very simplistic utility objects, like clamps or basic shapes, while others offer incredibly complexity, perhaps even designed through mathematical algorithms. But every once in a while a truly unique design appears that is not only beautiful, ingenious and functional,… Continue reading Vortex Salt and Pepper

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Categorized as Design Tagged

Printing Craters

Printing landscapes is something that’s been done before on 3D printers, but how about this? Print a 3D replica of an actual lunar crater.    Where does the 3D model come from? It all starts with LROC, the camera on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. This satellite, launched in 2009, orbits our moon pole to pole… Continue reading Printing Craters

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Categorized as Ideas Tagged

The 3D Printing Network

Want to connect with other 3D print folks? One way might be the newly created “3D Printing Network”. The network, which appears to be a mailing list and IRC channel, is sponsored by the Fellowship of Free Software Foundation Europe, or Fellowship of FSFE.    According to the network’s description:    The 3D Printing Network… Continue reading The 3D Printing Network

The B9Creator 3D Printer

It seems that KickStarter is chock full of 3D printers kits these days and every week there is a new startup company with an improvement to the latest designs. This week we’re looking at the B9Creator 3D Printer.    Michael Joyce’s B9Creator is a resin-based 3D printer, unlike most other inexpensive 3D printers that are… Continue reading The B9Creator 3D Printer

A New 3D Printer From Objet?

There’s something brewing at Objet, makers of the Connex line of commercial 3D printers. First we saw a mysterious art exhibition of color objects apparently produced on a color-capable Objet 3D printer – but there are no color-capable Objet 3D printers! Then we hear that Objet issued a press release indicating the art was produced… Continue reading A New 3D Printer From Objet?

Print a Chocolate Brain!

They didn’t actually print a chocolate brain, rather the team from Inition took MRI scan data from their founder Andy Millins and created a 3D model. Once you have a 3D model, as readers know well, you can do some 3D printing.    In this case the team created detailed 3D model of the brain… Continue reading Print a Chocolate Brain!

A Very Smooth Idea, Indeed

During our visit to Stratasys’ RedEye On Demand facility the other day, we observed a fascinating finishing process that might be applicable to personal 3D prints, given the appropriate equipment.    This process solves one of the flaws in objects produced by personal (and some commercial) 3D printers: layer visibility. If you look closely, it’s… Continue reading A Very Smooth Idea, Indeed

Flat-Rate 3D Print Pricing From i.Materialise

3D print service i.Materialise is experimenting with a form of flat-rate pricing. Normally they employ the standard “how much material and what kind of material are you printing” approach, but perhaps this was seen as a barrier to expanding their business. They’ve been testing this approach throughout May, when the program ends.     How… Continue reading Flat-Rate 3D Print Pricing From i.Materialise

You May Now Order Your Cube

First announced in January of this year, 3D Systems’ latest personal 3D printer, the Cube, is now available for pre-order.    The highly consumer-oriented device first came to light at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, where its ease of use features were very noticeable. The USD$1299 device was not available then, and actually isn’t yet… Continue reading You May Now Order Your Cube

The BukoBot 3D Printer

Yet another 3D printer kit has appeared on KickStarter, the Bukobot 3D printer by Diego Porqueras of Pasadena, California. As there have been many such startups emerge in this manner, the challenge for any of them is to put themselves ahead of the pack. What makes the Bukobot different?    There are several features Porqueras… Continue reading The BukoBot 3D Printer

3D Systems Picks Up FreshFiber

In yet another acquisition, 3D Systems has acquired FreshFiber BV, a maker of some very cool mobile phone covers – all using 3D printing techniques. Their tagline: “3D Designed, personal cases for your phone”.   The Dutch company made headlines earlier when it became one of the first big-time 3D printed products to make product… Continue reading 3D Systems Picks Up FreshFiber

3D Printing Community Survey

Do you like surveys? Ok, some people don’t. But this one might be important. PeerProductions is running a survey dedicated to 3D printing and would like your input. But you’d better hurry, as it closes on May 15th.    The survey is quite short and its twenty questions requires only a few moments to complete.… Continue reading 3D Printing Community Survey

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Fabbaloo Visits London

It’s time for a road trip! As luck would have it, Fabbaloo will be visiting London this coming week. We’ll be hanging around the city looking for 3D printing-related stuff.    If you have something you’d like us to see on either Tuesday May 15th or Wednesday May 16th, please give us a shout right… Continue reading Fabbaloo Visits London

3D Infographics

Admit it, you’re in love with those beautiful infographics we so often see in newspapers, magazines and online. They convey an idea, concept or statistic in a visual way that is frequently easier to understand that plowing through text. It’s lazy, but oh, so true.    Now a Shapeways designer has produced a kind of… Continue reading 3D Infographics

The Mojo 3D Printer

Today Stratasys announced a new FDM 3D printer for designers, architects and other professionals  – but it’s very different from anything you’ve seen before. It includes a couple of revolutionary features that we’re certain you’ll find very interesting.    The Mojo 3D printer is more like a 2D paper printer than anything we’ve seen. The… Continue reading The Mojo 3D Printer

Phenix Systems Defends Its Position

You may recall our post the other week regarding a lawsuit filed by 3D printer manufacturer EOS against Phenix Systems. We were contacted by a representative from Phenix with an official statement countering EOS’ claims.   The statement reads:    Phenix Systems, is aware that EOS has filed a lawsuit alleging patent infringement, although EOS… Continue reading Phenix Systems Defends Its Position

The Economist on 3D Printing, Again

Once again the venerable The Economist has published a series of articles on the topic of 3D printing and digital manufacturing. This publication has gone quite far to promote the technology, more than others.    We’ll bring three of their articles to your attention. First, they explain the fundamentals of 3D printing, which is still… Continue reading The Economist on 3D Printing, Again

MakerBot Discontinues the Thing-O-Matic

Personal 3D printer manufacturer MakerBot has announced their popular Thing-O-Matic 3D printer will no longer be offered for sale. They have, of course, replaced it in their product line with the much more capable (and fully assembled) Replicator device. Today you’ll find only spare parts for the Thing-O-Matic.   The Thing-O-Matic was a breakthrough device… Continue reading MakerBot Discontinues the Thing-O-Matic

Multicolor RepRap Printing Progresses

After the initial thrill of 3D printing wears off, one begins to look for possible improvements. One of the most sought-after improvements is the ability to print color objects. We don’t mean “a” color, we mean “many” colors. Since plastic filament comes in only one color (except for that elusive Tartan filament we were looking… Continue reading Multicolor RepRap Printing Progresses

Free Autodesk Inventor Fusion for OSX and Windows

Have no money and need fancy 3D modeling software? If that’s your situation, you’re in luck: Autodesk is now offering a free preview of their Inventor Fusion 3D modeling software.    Inventor Fusion is Autodesk’s tool that unites both parametric and direct modeling approaches, hence its name, “Fusion”. The new version incorporates some very cool… Continue reading Free Autodesk Inventor Fusion for OSX and Windows

The 3D4D Challenge

There’s a new 3D printing contest about to begin, but this one is a little different. The 3D4D Challenge is focused on charity. Organized by techfortrade and sponsored by 3D printer manufacturer MakerBot and 3D printing consultants Econolyst, the contest commences on May 1st.    We can’t say much more about the 3D4D Challenge at… Continue reading The 3D4D Challenge

Google Sells SketchUp!

Big news! Google has sold off the hugely popular SketchUp 3D modeling tool to Trimble. Wait, who are Trimble, exactly? They’re a “leading provider of advanced location-based solutions that maximize productivity and enhance profitability”. In other words, they leverage GPS and other location tech to develop point products for quite a few different industries.   … Continue reading Google Sells SketchUp!

Solidoodle 2 Announced

Readers may recall the original Solidoodle 3D printer. Now you can buy the Solidoodle 2, an improved version for sale at a price under USD$500. The new 3D printer’s price is its most amazing feature. At USD$499, that’s pretty much the lowest you can spend to buy a pre-assembled personal 3D printer that really works. … Continue reading Solidoodle 2 Announced

Are We Ready for 3D Printing?

An unusual post by Rod Roddenberry in Huffington Post ponders whether society is sufficiently “evolved” to handle 3D printers. The proposition is that if 3D printing tech becomes widespread, then your shopping will be done online – the selected 3D models will be printed at home. The implication, according to Roddenberry, is that the changes… Continue reading Are We Ready for 3D Printing?

Be An Action Hero!

There are quite a few specialized 3D print services emerging in the consumer space, but we kinda like this one: Firebox. Why? Because you can easily (well, by paying their fee of £79.99, or USD$127) you can get your own head on a real action figure.    The process is simple: take two pictures of… Continue reading Be An Action Hero!

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3D Printed Typography

This is an interesting design: designer Luca Ionescu used typography as the foundation for this piece, which is not surprising, since Ionescu is also a typographer.    The complex design incorporates type as a main feature; this approach is something we see often when people are preparing custom 3D prints. Typography is one of the… Continue reading 3D Printed Typography

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Categorized as Design Tagged

Pottery Via 3D Printing

We never realized it, but extrusion-based 3D printing is quite similar to traditional methods of making ceramic pots. In the ancient method, a roll of clay is set in a circle, then another is affixed on top, gradually building up the object into a full pot. Sound familiar?    Artist and potter Jonathan Keep realized… Continue reading Pottery Via 3D Printing

The Asiga 3D Printer

With all the chatter recently surrounding inexpensive high-resolution resin 3D printers, we encountered a commercial resin 3D printer worthy of mention. The Asiga Pico is a relatively low-priced unit that not only provides high resolution models, but also has a very friendly footprint.    The device weighs only 10Kg (22 lbs) and has a floor… Continue reading The Asiga 3D Printer

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Categorized as printer Tagged

3D Balloon Printing

Normally one makes solid objects with a 3D printer, but how about making balloons? Yes, real, floaty inflatable balloons. That’s now possible, according to New Scientist, who reported on developments at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.   The trick is that they don’t 3D print the actual balloons. Instead, they design and 3D print… Continue reading 3D Balloon Printing

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Categorized as Ideas Tagged

Extreme Redesign 2012 Winners Announced

The 2012 Extreme Redesign Contest is completed and the winners have been announced by sponsor Stratasys. Winners were selected in four categories: Middle/High School, College Engineering, Art & Architecture. Winners received USD$2500 scholarships and runners-up received scholarships of USD$1,000 each.    As usual, the winning ideas (as well as those placing second and third) were… Continue reading Extreme Redesign 2012 Winners Announced

That Cubify Van

To promote their new Cube 3D printer and Cubify 3D printing community, 3D Systems has a tricked out van shuttling around the USA. The van is equipped with Cube 3D printers and evidently a ton of 3D models, too, as they’re printing stuff at every stop. They’ve started in the western USA and are more… Continue reading That Cubify Van

Haptic A-Go-Go

Anarkik3D has opened a crowd funding initiative at IndieGoGO to raise money for enhancements to their Cloud9 haptic 3D modeling software. The project’s goal is sufficient funding for two full time programmers to develop the improvements, which means USD$120,000 by June 27th.    We think this is important, because, as Anarkik3D’s CEO Ann Marie Shillito… Continue reading Haptic A-Go-Go

BotMill Drops Pricing

We were just informed by BotMill chief Gil Mayron that they’ve changed pricing for their Axis 3D printer kit.    The Axis 3D printer kit, based on the RepRap design, is now offered officially for USD$999, breaking the important USD$1,000 barrier.    This kit includes not only the printer parts, but also all tools required… Continue reading BotMill Drops Pricing

EOS Files 3D Printing Patent Infringement Lawsuit

Oh oh – we’re now seeing major lawsuits flying in the 3D printing industry for perhaps the first time. EOS, the Munich-based manufacturer of laser sintering 3D printing gear, has filed suits against Phenix Systems of France.    Apparently this scenario began when Phenix produced their PXL, PXM, PXS and PXS Dental 3D printers, all… Continue reading EOS Files 3D Printing Patent Infringement Lawsuit

A Visit to RedEye

Recently we had the privilege of visiting Stratasys’ Minneapolis-based 3D print service: RedEye On Demand. Wait, we shouldn’t call it a “3D Printing Service” anymore. This facility performs much more than just 3D printing, although that forms a large portion of their work. In addition to Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), they offer cast urethane and… Continue reading A Visit to RedEye

3D Systems Added to S&P SmallCap 600 Index

Standard and Poors have added 3D Systems to their SmallCap 600 index. The index is a basket of (surprise) 600 companies whose aggregated stock prices offer insight into medium-sized company performance. 3D Systems was able to be added after one of the existing companies, Taleo, was acquired by Oracle (making it definitely not a Small… Continue reading 3D Systems Added to S&P SmallCap 600 Index

Massive News: Objet and Stratasys Merge

Stratasys announced they’ve merged with the largest remaining large commercial 3D printer manufacturer, Objet of Israel, creating the now-largest 3D printing company with a market capitalization of USD$1.4B.    The newly merged company was created by merging stock such that Stratasys shareholders will own 55 percent and Objet shareholders 45 percent. The new company retains… Continue reading Massive News: Objet and Stratasys Merge

On Demand 3D Printed Robots?

MIT has organized a US$10M grant to fund a new project that will attempt to “reinvent how robots are designed and produced“.    They feel this could have a “profound impact on society”, when one could “order” a special purpose robot on demand and very quickly receive it. They’re trying to bypass the current methods… Continue reading On Demand 3D Printed Robots?