Lifeboat Foundation

by Timothy J. Seppala — Endgadget

It might not be a Stradivarius, but the violin you see above is pretty impressive on its own merits. For starters, it’s 3D printed and only has two strings. And that’s to say nothing of its appearance; this thing looks like it’d be right at home on The Citadel in Mass Effect. The Piezoelectric Violin (as it’s officially called), was concepted by a pair of architects who tell BBC that the impetus for its creation was realizing that the challenges of their day jobs aren’t all that different from those faced by composers and musicians. It’s still playable by “anyone” too, despite its wild looks. One of its designers tells BBC that the difference between how it and a traditional violin sounds is akin to that of a classical guitar versus an electric Gibson Les Paul. That is, similar, but still pretty different. Read more

By Davide Sher — 3DPrintingIndustry.com
The true implementation of wearable, 3D printed clothes is a gradual process that began with accessories (jewelry, eye-wear) and is now moving on to extremities, to eventually cover the entire body (a little bit like Siberian-style tattoos). After insoles, custom 3D printed shoes are now taking on momentum, going from an experimental novelty to something truly accessible. Especially with new announcements from such start-ups as Feetz and 3D Shoes.

When speaking with the founder of the Nrml store in Manhattan, Nikky Kaufmann, she explained how, in her business of creating custom 3D printed earphones, the idea of custom clothing and accessories was, in fact, very “normal”, hence the name of her shop. The idea is that custom wearable products are not something strange, as much as they have always been part of our human culture: before the assembly line industrial revolution, every article of clothing was tailor made. Now, consumers can return to the tailor-made goods, but with new methods that can make these products accessible to everyone at higher quantities.Read more

by Bridget Butler Millsaps — 3Dprint.com
There’s one thing you may have begun to notice about digital design and 3D printing: whatever you think might happen in the future is probably going to advance far beyond whatever you envisioned or thought might be a cool idea.

And literally, one day you may be envisioning your entire world, and recording it as well, through completely artificially constructed, 3D printed eyeballs. You may be able to say goodbye to prescription glasses and contact lenses — and even your camera, as your original retina is replaced by a new and digital network contained inside your head, and even able to be swapped out for different versions.Read more

by Mariella Moon — Endgadget

It looks like Iron Man’s arm, but it’s actually a fully-functioning bionic prosthetic for a seven-year-old kid. Electronically wired and capable of moving, it can, for instance, open and close its hand if the user flexes their bicep. The limb was created by Limbitless Solutions, a non-profit made up of engineering students from the University of Central Florida, using donations and money they saved by sacrificing coffee. They specialize in designing 3D-printed limbs for children, because kids will quickly outgrow more expensive bionic limbs. Sure, their creations don’t have the sense of touch and can’t be controlled by thoughts, but kids will definitely appreciate looking like their favorite robot or superhero.
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Brian Krassenstein — 3dPrint

We all likely have realized by now that the rate of technological progress increases over time. For example, we will likely see as much progress in the next decade as we have in the last 30 years combined. This accelerating rate of development in technology ultimately will equate to a world alien to most of us, likely within many of our lifetimes.

There are few areas, if any, in which technology is developing faster than that of the 3D printing space. In the last several years alone we have gone from a society in which nearly no one had heard of the phrase ‘3D printing’ to one where it’s almost impossible to go a couple of days without hearing about it in one form or another.

So you may now be wondering just how quickly 3D printing will develop over the next few decades. Will we be 3D printing organs for transplantation? How about 3D printing street legal cars or even airplanes? How about entire living organisms? Okay, wait, what did I just say?
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By Andy Greenberg — Wired

The new generation of “maker” tools like 3-D printers and milling machines promises to let anyone make virtually anything—from prosthetic limbs to firearms—in the privacy and convenience of his or her own home. But first, those tools have to get to customers’ homes. That’s going to be difficult for at least one new machine with the potential to make homemade firearms, because FedEx is refusing to deliver it.

Last week FedEx told firearm-access nonprofit Defense Distributed that the company refuses to ship the group’s new tool, a computer controlled (CNC) mill known as the Ghost Gunner. Defense Distributed has marketed its one-foot-cubed $1,500 machine, which allows anyone to automatically carve aluminum objects from digital designs, as an affordable, private way to make an AR-15 rifle body without a serial number. Add in off-the-shelf parts that can be ordered online, and the Ghost Gunner would allow anyone to create one of the DIY, untraceable, semi-automatic firearms sometimes known as “ghost guns.”
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By Josh Greenbaum — Wired

If you’re looking for a way to gauge how the 3D printing market will evolve, look no further than the dawn of two other revolutionizing technologies – the desktop printing market and the VHS standard. And be prepared for a decidedly off-color story.

While many of us have fond memories of watching a favorite movie when it first came out on VHS, or admiring the first three-color party invitation we printed on a laser printer, the fact remains that innocent pursuits were not the sole reason either of these technologies took off. And we shouldn’t expect 3D printing to be any different.
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By Jason Dorrier — SingularityHub

Why does 3D printing get all the love? Probably because it evokes visions of Star Trek’s famous replicator. Back here in the humble 21st century, however, it’s just one of the computerized manufacturing methods set to upend industry. Another method, subtractive manufacturing, is the yin to 3D printing’s yang.

While additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) builds parts layer by layer from the ground up, subtractive machines (like 5-axis mills) whittle precision parts out of solid chunks of metal.

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