Machine Gardens (The "Magic" Video)

This is an old video from when I was making laser-cut machines a couple of years ago. I used it again in the Object Oriented show we did last November. This is half the work, showing the "magic" of recursive algorithms being turned by a laser-cutter into physical objects. There's a companion video which shows all the human activity and faff that was excluded from this one.

DJ Oleiro

One of the things that's been taking up a lot of my time recently is being involved in an art exhibition at the University of Brasilia with some other friends / artists.

This was a second edition of the Object Oriented exhibition we originally ran in Kentish Town in 2011. I showed a development of my Pot Jockey piece (now translated into Portuguese as "DJ Oleira", literally "DJ Potter"). The principle is the same, to turn a MIDI DJ Controller into a tool for making round objects. But I've updated the software to allow hollow centres (ie. cups, bowls, vases), and moved from the "stack of cylinders" model to a mesh of angled faces that can approximate a curved surface.

I have a lot more documentation to do on this over the next few days - including making the latest code public - but at least I managed to get a reasonable video this time :

Real-time 3D Printed Board Game

Aza Raskin's modest proposal :

You start with no pieces and as the game opens, you build lots of weak little ships. Their physical size means they don’t take much material and print quickly. That fire power buys you enough time to invest in building stronger big ships. These might take upwards of 15 minutes to build, but choose carefully, you’ll be blocking your production queue. With your 3D printer behind a sheet of cardboard, your opponent knows that you are are building, and for how long you’ve been building, but not what you are building. The whirr of your stepper motors give tantalizing hints of your strategy. Of course, you’ll be able to cancel production mid-way for an incomplete downgraded/vulnerable piece, like the partially constructed Death Star.

Update : Check out Shapeways Game Section for context.

PEACHY Printer

Not sure if this would work, but if it does, it's very clever and a brilliant use of cheap components.


Update : I asked about this on Quora.

Flying 3D Printer

It's a gratuitous stunt, but it's nice someone tried it.

Nice Delta RepRap

Self Folding Robots

Wow! Self-folding.

3D Printed Engines

Good article here.

Wikihouse Rio

I wonder what, actually, is the point of Wikihouse Rio.

If anyone knows how to build their own homes it's the inhabitants of the favelas. They have a huge expertise in vernacular construction from cheap bricks, breeze blocks, cement and plastic. There are problems ...particularly lack of sewage system. Some issues about lack of deep foundations and a lot of issues about the potential for mud-slides when it rains. Favelas typically perch on the side of the hill.

I like the Wikihouse idea a lot. I'm intrigued by the technologies involved etc. But I don't see it solving any of these real problems. Seriously? Large pieces of expensive CNC cut (hard?)wood? For the favela?

The Wikihouse project is designed for people who have money, materials and expensive technology but no information. It packages up information as open-source designs. Fantastic. But the faveladas are the opposite. They have plenty of knowledge, but lack resources and have an awkward construction site. Neither of which, wikihouse solves.

Poor Brazilians have plenty of problems, but lack of European architecture is not one of them.

InMoov

I confess even I'm pretty shocked by InMoov. 

A few weeks ago someone asked me to answer a Quora question on the possibility of humanoid robots. (I'll quote the answer now Quora requires logins to see what I wrote)

Caring robots have to become cheaper than people before they'll take off.

There are projected to be between 7 and 10 billion people in the near future. And they're pretty cheap, all things considered. Also, most people like to be cared for by other people.

So I'd expect technology to *augment* rather than replace carers in the near future.

What will certainly happen first is intensive monitoring technologies : sensors which are worn by, or embedded in the rooms and furniture of, people who need support. It will be easy for one nurse to monitor dozens of patients in a hospital or at their own homes in a district and to talk to them whenever they request.

Robotics will continue to develop within medical instruments. Most medical operations will be conducted by tiny robots, largely under the direct control of a surgeon, but with areas of increasing autonomy. Expect to see robot anaesthetists, machines which can painlessly take blood samples from an exposed arm, machines which can sew-up wounds. 

Not to mention extensive 3D printing of organs and to repair wounds. All these machines will be fronted by a caring and responsible human being. 

Later, expect to see more machines that allow self-monitoring and even self-treatment turning up in the home. 

Humanoid nurse-substitutes are likely to be fairly late arriving, if at all.

That answer is, of course, predicated on humanoid robots being hard to do and expensive. However, what if the whole future manufacturing thing is making reasonable homebrew humanoids pretty cheap?

It Will Be Awesome if They Don’t Screw it Up

It Will Be Awesome if They Don’t Screw it Up: 3D Printing, Intellectual Property, and the Fight Over the Next Great Disruptive Technology - Shapeways Blog on 3D Printing News & Innovation

The Solar Pocket Factory

Very Cool : The Solar Pocket Factory

GitHub Goes 3D Printing

A couple of people have talked of being "the github of 3D models". Guess Github thought they were already it.

Damn! Wish I'd Thought Of Doing This

Add one-of-a-kind decor with these 3D printed snowflakes - 3D Printing news

3D Systems Announces Filing of Patent Infringement Suit Against Formlabs and Kickstarter

Bollocks!

SpiderBots

Wow!

Coloured RepRap

Beautiful multi-colour print from a modified RepRap.

Braid Maker

This is clever. And a good example of how 3D printing is going to provide a multiplier for all kinds of other small-scale, local fabrication technologies. Think about the humble multi-headed drill, and think what else you could do if you could design and make your own specialised heads for it.

Another Solar CNC

Another nice Solar CNC machine.

Resilient Manufacturing and SpimeScript

Something I'm thinking about a lot at the moment is resilient, local, sustainable, on-demand manufacturing :

• Over on SmartDisorganised, a quick post about SpimeScript. 

• I'm currently organising the London Future Manufacturing meetup. And having some parallel conversations at the London Hackspace. If you're in London and into this stuff, get in touch.

• I have a new project in the works which I'll be unveiling soon ...