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NASA contest finalists show off their Mars habitat models
Yes, we've yet to successfully send humans to Mars, but we already need to start thinking how we can stay there for long stretches of time -- or even for good. NASA launched the 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge back in 2015 to find a suitable artificial housing for the first wave of Martian residents, and now the agency has narrowed the contestants down to five after seeing the realistic virtual models they created. The agency and its project partner, Illinois' Bradley University, judged 18 teams' models created using a specialized software.
ICYMI: Family seamstresses will be replaced soon enough
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Robots have finally gotten around the 'needing human assistance' thing when it comes to sewing clothing. The Sewbo is one such option, which can stitch together clothing as long as the garment is first dipped in a stiffening solution that makes it feel like cardboard.
3D print your own 'Skylanders' hero with the Creator app
With Disney Infinity on its way out, it's down to Skylanders and Lego Dimensions to maintain the toys-to-life dream. Skylanders is the oldest of the two and this year, its new gimmick is the ability to create custom "Imaginator" heroes. Which sounds great, except there's an obvious problem -- the point of the franchise is to collect physical figurines too. How is that possible with player-created characters? Well, today Activision Blizzard has the answer: Creator, a mobile app which lets you order 3D-printed versions. They'll be available in "limited quantities," however, so you'll need act fast if you want to immortalise your handiwork.
ICYMI: The amazing 9-year-old 3D printer
UPDATE: This video has been removed at the request of Wareness. Today on In Case You Missed It: 9-year-old Calramon Mabalot could probably teach a STEM course, since he just 3D printed a prosthetic arm for a teacher. The whole story only touches on the charm that is this kid's YouTube channel. If he's the future, we'll be alright. We also briefly played Lego Donald Trump and followed that with a palate cleanser of a video: A dog who is afraid of a windshield wiper. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Anyone can now print out all TSA master keys
Shortly after The Washington Post inadvertently published a photo of seven TSA master keys, a group of security experts were able to copy their designs and release their 3D models online. Now, these same experts have deciphered the secrets of the eighth and last master key the agency uses even without a photo to guide them. The first seven keys are manufactured by a company called Travel Sentry, while this one is by a separate manufacturer named Safe Skies. Since the hackers didn't have a photo of the last key, they bought as many Safe Skies locks as possible, took them apart and examined their innards. Anyone with access to a 3D printer can now reproduce all eight keys.
ICYMI: Science Spiderman would love and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-344199{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-344199, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-344199{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-344199").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A team of researchers from Boston University have figured out how to 3D print metals in a free-form style while Oxford University discovered that spider silk strands can recoil themselves when compressed to create stretchable circuit boards. A company called Otto is working on kits to retrofit 16-wheelers into self-driving autonomous rigs. And a menstrual startup wants women to attach a clip at the waist with extra long-stringed tampons clipped into the device. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
ICYMI: 3D-printed instrument, Humanoid diver and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-99267{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-99267, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-99267{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-99267").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Free 3D plans to create your own plastic violin should make the instrument a bit easier to take up; Stanford roboticists created a remotely-operated humanoid diver that can be haptically controlled from afar by its pilots, meaning they can feel what the diver does. And a table tennis projector can coach you on improving your lousy game, so nothing like this ever happens to you. Sick of those updates popping up during important moments? It can't be as bad as being live on-air. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
MIT 3D prints a complete walking robot
A team from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab believe that it's created a new way to 3D print whole robots. The breakthrough that researchers have made centers around creating what's being called "printable hydraulics," a way to create liquid-filled pumps inside the manufacturing process. According to CSAIL director Daniella Rus, the technique "is a step towards the rapid fabrication of functional machines." She adds that "all you have to do is stick in a battery and motor and you have a robot that can practically walk right out of the printer."
ICYMI: 3D-printed vertebrae FTW, YouTube blur and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-105465{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-105465, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-105465{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-105465").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: An Australian neurologist successfully used 3D printed replacements for vertebrae to save a man who would have died from cancer otherwise. YouTube has updated its editing tools to include a custom blurring option. Another new device for the problem of not having wireless service in the boonies is available, you just have to keep it on you... and whoever you're trying to contact. We also wanted you to see the latest Guinness Record for a robot solving a Rubik's Cube. It's less than a second and of course, incredible. As always, please share any interesting science or tech videos, anytime! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.
3D-printable files of TSA master baggage keys are out for download
If you never trusted your luggage lock much to begin with, then you're going to warily look at it in suspicion from now on. Some security enthusiasts took that photo of TSA's master baggage keys that The Washington Post published and turned them into 3D-printable CAD files -- in fact, they've recently uploaded them on GitHub, making them freely available to everyone. The person who released the files told Wired that while he tried to be as accurate as he could, he didn't exactly expect the keys to work. Thing is, at least one of them did work: Bernard Bolduc, who describes himself as a "Unix wizard and security geek" on Twitter printed out a key and tried it on his TSA-approved lock.
ICYMI: Coral protector bot, non-ugly wearable glasses & more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-251016{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-251016, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-251016{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-251016").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The nation's largest vision insurance company, VSP, is beta-testing wearable health-tracking glasses and somehow they don't even look ridiculous. An autonomous robot submarine is patrolling coral reefs and killing the starfish that normally eat coral, to preserve the reef. (So many conflicting feelings, amirite?) And MIT researchers are back with another 3D printer to blow your mind. This one is machine-vision enabled, meaning it can scan as it prints and correct itself.
Propose to your beloved with this bitcoin engagement ring
Much like the idea that Santa Claus wears red, the notion that you should spend a fortune on a diamond engagement ring is the invention of advertisers. So, since the act is already about ostentatious displays of wealth, why not invest your money in something more useful than a big rock -- like bitcoin? That's the idea behind the bitcoin ring, a 3D-printed piece of jewelry with a QR code that lets anyone with the corresponding app see how much cash you've really got.
3D printer headed to the International Space Station this August
Astronauts on the International Space Station will need to make room for one more gadget: a NASA-certified 3D printer. The device, designed by Made in Space at NASA's Ames Research Park in Mountain View, will launch on SpaceX CRS-4 in August, a few months ahead of schedule. Initially, astronauts will test the printer in the ISS' microgravity environment, but eventually it could be used to build tools and other hardware needed for on-board repairs or cubesat deployments. Down the road, Made in Space's clients could also have access to the printer for their own experiments. "This is unprecedented access to space," CEO Aaron Kemmer said in a press release. "If you want to 3D print in space, contact us now." [Image credit: NASA]
Microfactory adds milling and etching to its 3D printer (video)
The gang of multi-function 3D printers -- that is, ones that can also mill and etch your new creations -- just grew by one. Mebotics Multifactory is a customizable device from a team of talented makers out of Boston's Artisans' Asylum (including Judah Sher, who created this amazing Distro cover for us) that also has an onboard computer loaded with an open source OS that connects to a phone or tablet via WiFi for remote operation. If it works as intended, you'll be able to print out four-colored plastic masterpieces, as well as etch wooden and metal creations even if you're in another continent. Unfortunately, it's not something you can snag at Bed, Bath and Beyond, but the company is running a pre-sale on Kickstarter. Interested parties will need to pledge at least $3,495 to reserve a unit, but be warned -- the project has set a lofty $1 million goal.
Cornell scientists 3D print ears with help from rat tails and cow ears
Science! A team of bioengineers and physicians over at Cornell University recently detailed their work to 3D print lifelike ears that may be used to treat birth defects like microtia and assist those who have lost or damaged an ear due to an accident or cancer. The product, which is, "practically identical to the human ear," according to the school, was created using 3D printing and gels made from living cells -- collagen was gathered from rat tails and cartilage cells were taken from cow's ears. The whole process is quite quick, according to associate professor Lawrence Bonassar, who co-authored the report on the matter, "It takes half a day to design the mold, a day or so to print it, 30 minutes to inject the gel, and we can remove the ear 15 minutes later. We trim the ear and then let it culture for several days in nourishing cell culture media before it is implanted." The team is looking to implant the first ear in around three years, if all goes well.
MakerBot releases free-to-download Playsets, will have you printing a Captain Kirk Chair in no time
So, you've always wanted to build a dollhouse out of ABS plastic? Well here's your chance. MakerBot has announced the release of its "MakerBot Playsets," a collection of free-to-download schematics used to create objects such as dolls, dollhouses and furnishings with the company's 3D printer. The files are available in .stl and .dxf formats for use with CAD programs, and take away the guesswork involved in coming up with a uniform design for larger projects. Take a look at the current collection -- including such objects as a Telescope, Moon Rover, Captain Kirk Chair, Treasure Chest and Suit of Armor -- and see what you think. You'll find the entire collection at the Thingiverse link just below.
Shapeways Glazed Ceramics make 3D printed objects you can eat off of
We've seen them spit out fancy glass vases and tiny white strandbeests, and now the 3D thingy makers are pumping out cutesy salt and pepper shakers. Those hyper-glossy white rabbits pictured above are some of the first spawns of Glazed Ceramics, the newly minted food-safe material available from Shapeways. Glazed Ceramics are fired in an oven or kiln like traditional ceramics and are then coated with a lead-free non-toxic gloss -- the result is food-safe, recyclable, and heat resistant up to 1000 degrees Celsius. The new material is now available to Shapeways designers and will be until August 12th, at which point the company will decide whether its worth keeping around. For now you can sate your appetite for 3D printed shiny white dishes by clicking the source link below.
Strandbeests birthed from 3D printer pop out ready to walk (video)
While designer Theo Jansen's dreams of a race of independently multiplying Strandbeests is more than just a little bit out there, it seems he has found a way to streamline production of the rather fascinating self-propelled creatures. In language that is unique to Jansen's relationship with the things, he explains the impact of 3D printing on the Strandbeest production process as such: "Strandbeests have found a way to multiply by injecting their digital DNA directly into the Shapeways system." The 3D printed versions of his strolling mechanisms, known as Animaris Geneticus Parvus, are now available in the Shapeways store, and require zero post-printing assembly. Check out the video after the break for more of Jansen's eyebrow-lifting take on reality.
MakerBot prints another MakerBot, the circle is complete
MakerBot isn't the first self-replicating 3D printer -- that spectacular distinction went to the RepRap Darwin back in 2008 -- but that doesn't make it any less awesome that the $750 machine is now able to produce its own frame. With a month's labor, owner Webca was able to create the entire plastic chassis you see above, using a second MakerBot constructed of the traditional wooden parts. Without knowing how much goop went into the project, it's a touch difficult to say if the method is economical, but there's nothing to keep you from trying the same. Best of all, Webca decided to share his plans with the world -- you'll find instructions for all 150 pieces at the source link, a month off of work in your wildest dreams.
3D printer creates ice sculptures -- just add water
Paper-mache, candy, and human cells have all been seen flowing through 3D printers for custom fabrication work, but students and faculty at Canada's McGill University have a cheaper prototyping material: plain ol' H2O. They recently modified this Fab@Home Model 1 by replacing the soft goo extruders with a temperature-controlled water delivery system, and set about making decorative ice sculptures and a large beer mug for good measure. While the academic project is officially supposed to explore "economic alternatives to intricate 3D models of architectural objects," we're not sure architects will want much to do with prototypes that drip... but tourism might well get a boost from liquor sold in frosty custom containers. We're thirsty just looking at them.
