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Mattel ThingMaker: New Device Lets Kids 3D-Print Their Own Toys

17 Feb

[ By WebUrbanist in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

mattel thingmaker

Toy-maker Mattel has announced a 3D printer with a novel application: a way for children to make their own custom toys using a simple digital interface. The app, designed by Autodesk, is easy to learn, fast to use and simple enough even younger kids can use it. The gadget itself is priced at $ 300.

3d home printer

The ThingMaker program comes with a number of templates and basic characters that can be customized in terms of color and texture, but also allows for from-scratch designs. Each design can be saved for future editing and printing as well, in standard formats that work with or beyond the printer.

3d custom toy printer

Finished objects are only one piece of the puzzle, however: the idea is to also allow for printing, connecting and assembling larger creations from smaller parts. Ball-and-socket joints can be easily included for attachment purposes, helping facilitate complex dolls and action figures. Eventually, Mattel may also facilitate combinations and accessories associated with existing branded toy lines, like Barbie and Hot Wheels.

3d printer interface

Various safety measures have been included to keep kids safe, from an automatically-locking door to a retractable print head. For liability reasons they are listing it as a device for kids ages 13 or older.

mattel device

“In today’s digital age, it’s more important than ever for families to transcend the digital world and make their ideas real,” said Aslan Appleman, senior director, at Mattel. “ThingMaker pushes the boundaries of imaginative play, giving families countless ways to customize their toys and let their creativity run wild.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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Instant Cities: 3D-Print Your Favorite NYC Blocks on Demand

29 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Gaming & Computing & Technology. ]

3d printing

We are accustomed to being able to click a few buttons and get 2D prints of cities, blocks or buildings, and now a new web app allows you to create your own 3D model just as easily, picking and printing your favorite parts of Manhattan.

Inspired by Terrafab, a similar app that lets you print out custom selected, scoped and scaled sections of Norway’s gorgeous natural topographies, ibldi uses a similar approach but turns it toward America’s largest cityscape.

terrafab 3d print norway

For now, Terrafab offers more functionality and versatility, spanning an entire country, letting users customize their viewport and allowing selections ranging from tiny to gigantic. It is not hard to imagine, though, similar open map APIs in the near future allowing any section of the planet to be likewise selected and printed.

terrafab 3d printed landscape

From Terrafab: “Arguably, Norway has one of the top five most incredible terrains in the known universe. Now you can create your own 3D-printed genuine gypsum heirloom mantelpiece display replica of your favorite part of this formidable landscape in two easy steps.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Gaming & Computing & Technology. ]

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Cast-in-Place Steel: Robots to 3D-Print Metal Bridge in Holland

17 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

3d canal crossing bridge

Designed to span a historic canal of Amsterdam, this cutting-edge structure will bridge traditional and automatic construction techniques using continuous extrusion technology to generate three-dimensionally-complex, self-supporting steel space frames. Imagine for a moment a pair of robots scaling the very structures they are building as they build them, walking themselves out over a bridge from both sides to meet in the middle. The approach of casting a material in place, generally associated with concrete, is suddenly possible for metallic substances as well.

3d welding steel extrusion

3d welding sautering prototype

3d printed bridge robots

Having already created a series of increasingly successful small-scale prototypes, Dutch design firm Heijmans (already well known for houses built in one day and glow-in-the-dark bike paths in The Netherlands), tech startup MX3D and designer Joris Laarman are working together to make this design/build concept a reality. Programmed to extrude and weld together steel segments, specialized robotic builders are able to assemble a network of structural lines and curves to form a load-bearing bridge in this case, but could be deployed to frame tall buildings in the future as well.

3d extruding robot curves

3d curved steel form

3d bridge prototype rock

“Construction and design are currently rather separate factors in construction – the architect designs something and the constructor interprets the design and builds what he thinks is needed,” says Jurre van der Ven, Heijmans’ Innovation Manager. “But using 3D printing for a bridge makes design and construction operate hand-in-hand. For instance, both activities are done at the same time, instead of first building the structure and then adding the design later. This means we will also have to start looking at design in a completely different manner.”

3d bridge design renderings

3d bridge span connection

3d on site construction

Refined and optimized, such techniques and technologies will ultimately bring down the cost of construction, reduce building waste and help automate worksites. The first real-world application being a bridge is no coincidence, but rather a “fantastic metaphor for connecting the technology of the future with the city’s historic past, in a way which would reveal the best aspects of both worlds.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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20-Hour House: How to 3D-Print 2,500 Square Feet in 1 Day

14 Jan

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

3d printing building day

Combining ancient earthen-architecture approaches and cutting-edge robotic technologies, this contour crafting process promises a revolution in how we address one of our most basic and universal human needs: shelter.

Inventor and teacher Dr. Behrokh Khoshevis of University of Southern California points out that residential construction is labor-intensive, inefficient and hazardous. In short: it is overdue for a paradigm shift, one that not only automates and speeds up processes but also allows for mass customization and individualization.

3d printed architecture model

His Counter Crafting system “is a fabrication process by which large-scale parts can be fabricated quickly in a layer-by-layer fashion. The chief advantages of the Contour Crafting process over existing technologies are the superior surface finish that is realized and the greatly enhanced speed of fabrication” in part through the use of additives for faster hardening times.

3d building prototype printer

Steel reinforcement, plumbing and electrical can all be installed by robotic attachments as the concrete walls are poured. In turn, conventional shape and style limitations need not apply – curves are as simple to program as right angles. Part of the beauty of this system is that it cuts out the middle man – designs can go straight from the digital drawing board (CAD software) to the on-board computer.

3d printing on moon

Nor is this simply one man’s fantasy: “Contour Crafting has been under development under support from the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. Also, the application of CC in building adobe structures using inexpensive materials is being pursued in conjunction with the CalEarth organization.” Contour Crafting is also working with NASA to explore possibilities for 3D-printing structures in space.