3dprinting
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Harvard created a wool-like 3D-printable material that can shape shift
Researchers believe it could reduce waste in the fashion industry.
NASA made a necklace that reminds you not to touch your face
You can make your own Pulse with a few parts and a 3D-printed case.
Bioengineers 3D print complex vascular networks
Bioengineers are one step closer to 3D printing organs and tissues. A team led by Rice University and the University of Washington have developed a tool to 3D print complex and "exquisitely entangled" vascular networks. These mimic the body's natural passageways for blood, air, lymph and other fluids, and they will be essential for artificial organs.
Formlabs promises smoother, cleaner 3D printing
Formlabs' 3D-printing technology is now being used to make razor handles, movie props and even false teeth. It makes sense, then, that the products coming out of its printers need to be as smooth as possible to avoid the need for extra finishing. That's the key benefit that the company is touting as it launches two new models, the Form 3 and Form 3L.
Self-healing 3D-printed gel has a future in robots and medicine
Robots might be a little more appealing -- and more practical -- if they're not made of hard, cold metal or plastic, but of a softer material. Researcher at Brown University believe they've developed a new material that could be ideal for "soft robotics." It's already demonstrated that it can pick up small, delicate objects, and it could form customized microfluidic devices -- sometimes called "labs-on-a-chip" and used for things like spotting aggressive cancers and making life-saving drugs in the field.
IKEA makes furniture more accessible with 3D printing
If you live with disabilities, shopping for furniture can be difficult. Many common furniture items aren't designed with accessibility in mind, and those that are can be rare or non-existent. IKEA Israel has a technological solution: 3D print pieces that make them easier to use. The store has collaborated with Milbat on ThisAbles, a project that provides 3D-printed add-ons for furniture that can be tough to use with certain conditions. Among the 13 initial items are easier-to-grab handles, bumpers to protect cabinets and lifts to raise couches.
NASA backs tiny 3D-printed sensors for planetary rovers
Nanomaterials might just prove the key to the next wave of planetary rovers. NASA has poured $2 million into a Goddard Space Flight Center team developing 3D-printed sensors whose nanomaterials make them tiny, ultra-sensitive and resistant to radiation. The aim is to build a device that can detect minuscule (on the parts-per-billion-level) amounts of life-supporting chemicals like ammonia, hydrogen, methane and water.
Take a look at the world's largest 3D-printed rocket engine
It's a long way from taking on Blue Origin or SpaceX, but UK startup Orbex is confident enough to show off its Prime Rocket's second stage. Inside the engineering prototype's shell is what it claims is the "world's largest" 3D printed rocket engine, which is also designed to run on bio-propane, a renewable fuel source. The rocket itself is made of a carbon fiber and aluminum composite that's supposed to be 30 percent lighter than any other vehicle in its category.
Self-repairing shoes may be a reality thanks to 3D-printed rubber
Shoes will invariably wear out with enough use, but scientists might have found a way to delay the shopping trip for their replacements. A USC team has created a self-healing 3D-printed rubber that could be ideal for footwear, tires and even soft robotics. The effort involves 3D printing the material with photopolymerization (solidifying a resin with light) while introducing an oxidizer at just the right ratio to add self-healing properties without slowing down the solidifying process.
This 3D printed football helmet liner promises better protection
Football equipment company Riddell and 3D printing and manufacturing firm Carbon announced today that they are teaming up to improve head protection for football players. The pair will produce custom-fitted, 3D printed helmet liners that will aim to absorb contact and provide more protection for football players at all levels.
'Replicator' 3D printer uses light to create structures in one piece
A team of researchers from the University of California at Berkeley have unveiled a 3D printer that uses light to create an entire object at once. It's called the Replicator, named after the machines in the Star Trek universe that can synthesize food, water, air and various objects seemingly out of nothing. Before you get too excited, the researchers didn't quite create an exact replica of that fictional machine, but it still offers a new and promising 3D printing technique.
Air Force gives 3D-printed rocket company Cape Canaveral launch pad
Relativity Space, a startup that aspires to create 3D printed rockets, has secured a launch pad at Cape Canaveral. The company announced Thursday a five-year agreement with the US Air Force that will allow the company to operate out of Launch Complex 16 (LC-16) at the at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Formlabs pushes the boundaries of what 3D-printing can do
When 3D-printing burst onto the scene, its mouth was writing checks its capability had almost no chance of cashing. For all of its grand promises, the results the machines produced were useful for prototyping and very little else. Fast forward a few years, however, and companies like Formlabs have found ways to make the technology far more useful.
Neutrogena app 3D scans your face to create perfect-fit sheet masks
At CES last year, Neutrogena unveiled an iPhone attachment that lets you examine the condition of your skin in excruciating detail -- pores, moisture levels, wrinkles you didn't even know were there, the lot. Now, branching off the Skin 360 tool, the company has unveiled an app that accurately measures your face to ensure a good fit for the sheet masks designed to counteract these skin woes.
Watch Bugatti test the first 3D-printed brake caliper
Back at the start of 2018, Bugatti revealed that it was working on the first 3D-printed brake caliper. Now that the year is winding to a close, it's finally ready to show the caliper in action. Bugatti has posted a video (below) of a test that simulated braking at speeds as high as 249MPH. As you might imagine, it was quite the show -- the disc alone reached temperatures up to 1,877F, and there were plenty of flames and sparks as the caliper and disc reached their limit.
Texas will soon provide inmates with 3D-printed dentures
Texas prisons were notorious for denying inmates access to dentures, because chewing isn't considered a medical necessity. That might no longer be the case in the near future, all thanks to 3D printing. Starting in the spring, the state's prison system will start providing toothless inmates with 3D-printed dentures, according to Houston Chronicle. It'll avoid the need to transport prisoners to dental facilities across the state, since technicians can simply scan the mouth of the inmate and then send the images to the 3D printing facility. The process will take weeks instead of months, cutting down wait times significantly.
AI faithfully recreates paintings with the help of 3D printing
It's easy to get a basic reproduction of a painting, but getting a truly accurate copy is harder than you think. Modern 2D printers typically only have four inks to work with, which simply won't do if you're trying to mimic a classic. Researchers at MIT's CSAIL might have a much better solution -- they've developed RePaint, a system that recreates artwork using an AI-guided 3D printer. The technology promises color-accurate reproductions even in less-than-flattering conditions.
Researchers 3D print custom-sized lithium-ion batteries
One of the challenges in creating smaller and smaller devices these days, such as wearables and phones, is that the batteries can take up a lot of room. Cases are often designed around standard battery sizes, and it often creates wasted space. Now, new research published in ACS Applied Energy Materials shows that it's possible to 3D-print lithium-ion batteries into whatever shape you need.
Researchers develop 3D printed objects that can track their own use
Researchers at the University of Washington have been developing a way for 3D-printed plastic objects to transmit data without the need for embedded batteries or electronics. Last year, they showed how their devices can take measurements of wind speed and liquid flow, and then transmit that information through an antenna that reflects ambient WiFi signals. Now, they're taking their work a step further, bringing the technique to assistive technology.
3D gun distributor Cody Wilson deported to the US
Authorities aren't wasting any time bringing Cody Wilson, the owner of 3D-printed gun maker Defense Distributed, back to the US. Taiwan officials deported Wilson to the US on September 22nd following his arrest a day earlier over his annulled legal status in the area. It wasn't clear where in the US Wilson was headed, although a Texas city is a possibility given the US arrest warrant issued for him in state over allegations he paid for sex with an underage girl.