Droning on and on

   In the United States we cannot get enough of drones. Whether it's imagining them delivering our packages, negating enemies without risking our lives or capturing live news footage before it can be tweeted. Where there are things that fly, there are people that want to shoot them down. The last post I did my best to illustrate how 3d printing could conquer water (especially in emergency situations). Now we will attempt air with the concept of 3d printed disposable drones. With air travel more variables and calculations result in a larger margin of error. So an inexpensive alternative especially for conditions where pilots would not risk life, limb or their precious equipment these drones could possibly do the job. In current news you could have another co-pilot on the ground trailing the plane negating losing track of plane as in the Malaysia situation and also providing an exterior black box and emergency response unit. The teams that have developed these drones are from Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC) at the University of Sheffield in Great Britain. The drone is 5 foot wide and consists of nine parts using a technique called fused deposit modeling.w Once again the applications during emergency when we want to focus efforts and lessen damage these drones seem like a very favorable option

Movies and canoes

 The concrete canoe is a staple for civil engineering design for students. Calculations, mix design and strength all play apart in this competition. Jim Smith at Grass Roots Engineering has created 3d printed kayak that is seaworthy. He is an employee of 3d systems and therefore has a leg up on the competition. It took 42 days of printing to create 28 parts. Many say Grass roots has created a work of art. Once again with 3d printing optimization occurs more quickly. So in addition to sandbags being deployed we could also see 3d printers from hobbyists, machine shops and FEMA receive uploads tailored to the area affected, severity and population involved. Easy assembly and rapid response could reduce property damage and save lives. If anticipatory preparations are incorrect then the peices could either be stored or moved to a more critical area. This would remove FEMA outside of the realm of providing trailers and assistance to an agency where you could not only find documents on line for preparations but find digital solutions for your neighborhood. The kayaks can be purposely tailored to your family as you register for alerts.

    I like to contrast my blog posts subject matter. I would like to let you know that Netflix has acquired a 3d documentary called Print the Legend. The documentary managed to sneak by my recent SXSW coverage. It focuses on Makerbot and lesser known Formlabs as they begin to compete with the more established Stratysys and 3d systems. I am excited to soon be able to provide you with a review. Although stock pundits have been preaching its doom recently these companies are receiving positive from both the government and media. These definitely cannot hurt the future outside of the investing side of 3d printed.

Locale and implementation

    So are we looking at biology advantages or advanced band-aids. We want everything to be revolutionary but must realize without any type of small step forward that giant step for human kind will be hard to manage.

Quick response where budgets are blown out of proportion for various contracts to the advantage of people and wildlife should be the key way to open eyes to this matter. Whether it be correcting animal deformities that had no viable solution or finding substitutes or mass produced items that often have to be shipped in for relief all over the country. These solutions could easily be locally sourced and implemented.

       RoomScan is an app that can draw a scan of a room for you in a minute similar to project Tango. Here

 physical objects are transferred into the digital world where hopefully we as professionals can do low risk, low cost tests to find away to maximize their potential and reintroduce them through 3d-printing. This could be a critical step in many abstract proofs that become less abstract the more tangible they become. It also allows us to look at things like environmental impacts where we only get one opportunity to iterate against a simulated reacting environment, allowing forethought and trial testing where before none was feasibly possible. Most likely the closest thing that we will get in modeling to a Holodeck.

Webinars and Synergy

    3d systems has invited me to another one of their webinars announcing new products. September was the last time that I attended one of these events and it should be a return to a more corporate form after South by Southwest. I expect the peace and love marketing of south by Southwest is eschewed because a new participant has entered the arena. HP happens to be from a more formal field of printing and with the movement being nearly complete from paper to digital this is a logical step. Others have partnered with big box stores or even innovators in 3d printing. So how will this challenge be met? It certainly put many stockholders on notice. With the announcement from HP stocks from traditional frontiers took a tumble. This webinar should provide some answers because R&D from Stratysys and 3d systems should still be ahead of HP. I will be happy to report the events on March 27.

      Also next week I would like to explore the concept of the virtual workspace and possible manufacturing centers that may be able to glue brick and mortar stores as well as brands closer together. Basically, through interoperability I would like to see tech tends become a movement where commercial drones, virtual reality and 3d printing unify manufacturing production and commercial centers. My hope is that consumers will be more involved in decision making and have greater power behind their purchasing dollars. I will be sure to explore the bridges necessary next week.

A view through the polygon crystal ball

     Sometimes I admit I make wild predictions and to keep them from being so wild and give them direction I check in with them every so often. The latest update that I would like to give is to on the front of virtual reality. Along with my background as an engineer I am also a gamer. I have owned owned all of Sony's gaming consoles and they have usually managed to push the envelope with technology.Moving from CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays as storage. Haptic feedback and interaction has also been a source of innovation and immersion into created and modeled worlds. At the game developers conference yesterday Sony revealed they were entering into the VR space with project Morpheus. It will not only be used for games but also for virtual tours and other business applications. Sony is no longer the maker of everything as it once was but this should provide a major boost to the industry.

  My wild prediction from before was that 3d printing and Virtual Reality go hand in hand. Both encourage digital interaction and immersion on different levels. Creativity also flourishes under these circumstances. The goals of both technology follow the same path. The goal is keeping cost, travel and resources at a minimum while increasing collaboration and productivity. How long will it take for the headset and 3d printer to become one in a creative capacity? I am not ready to hazard that guess just yet.

More than a deck of cards

     The region that I live in doesn't always get painted in the best light. Ohioans are situated in the Rust Belt and Akron was once considered the rubber capital of the world. I included these in past tense because these industries have shrank considerably the past 30 years. Which means it is ripe for ancillary industries to take it's place as it is well situated for research and production. One specialty of the region that is often overlooked is the world-class hospitals that are located here. Whether you are looking for heart surgery or pediatric care Ohio, especially Northeast Ohio is often considered the place to go to receive the proper care. The University of Kentucky has jumped ahead in the area of pre-surgical preparation with the replica 3d printed heart. For the price of 600 dollars a heart was replicated that enabled a successful on an infant. The cost of medical equipment built for prescision and reliability the addition of a 3d printer should be something that every hospital administrator should be looking to squeeze into their budget. The pace of digitizing hospital records has been moving along at a crawl. However, the addition of 3d printer compatible scans may quicken the adoption and conversion.

   The other news items fall into the same category. The only difference is non-invasive surgery is the focus. Doctors without borders often goes to remote areas of the world to perform often simple surgeries on children in 3rd world countries. Lately, they have been overshadowed by more complicated facial reconstruction made easier by 3d printers. CT scans were used to determine how to restore symmetry to a face that was damaged in a UK car accident. Hopefully, these same techniques can be brought over to a problem facing many seniors which is replacement hips and knees. These could be adjusted for gaits additional weight and any other normal stresses the human body would be able to handle at an advanced age. Hopefully these advancements will help the region and people around the world that come here for health care.

Cutting through red tape

    C-Span isn't always the highest rated show, let's be honest NPR is a more recognized point of reference these days. However, it does provide insight on the gears that grind in Congress to get laws passed and get past the rhetoric of the 24 hour news cycle. As a public we trust the proceedings become public record and reference down the line in future endeavors. I knew the hearing was taking place and found it on demand on C-Span. The hearing lasted roughly a half hour and of course broke down 3d printing to its basics. The proceedings moved on to manufacturers that pointed out the advantages 3d printing afforded them. These were advantages the tech media has covered in detail. Many connections were made through the small steps the government has already made in support in this arena. The presentations were to the House Committee of Small Business. However, the vice president of Stratysys was there and made comments that supported the continued interaction.

    Basically the goal was to make sure the government is helpful and not a hindrance to the burgeoning market. The point being that staying ahead of the curve means that lobbyists of other industries do not get the chance to put the kibosh on what is essentially a grass roots, maker community. The Maker Faire at the White House was mentioned and that is encouraging that this is still a go. In summation the communication to the lawmakers was to stay out of the way and let 3d printing grow and flourish. We will cross our fingers and see.

Taste and Source

     More from SXSW included food in all its varieties. With a basic foodie revolution combining with the popularity of veganism, vegetarianism and sourced food basic meat and potatoes menus just will not cut it. When you are an interactive festival that is looking to gain momentum in the arts what do you do in the food arena. It turns out that much of the interest has carried over from CES has spilled into Austin , Texas. Specialized diets do not mean dulled taste buds so what is the solution? It turns out 3d printing is very effective at layering flavors which may mean that more of grandma's recipes could be synthesized with healthier, more sustainable or less allergic ingredients.

  As usual the tie-in to the next serves as a priority for both stories which is the search for sustainabilty. With iterations of ideas material is consumed and not necessarily safe for disposal. With 3d printed food avoiding unnatural perservatives and gearing your creations to locally sourced ingredients would most likely cut transportation time and expenses. With the fluctuation of gas prices this would definitely be of interest to the greater majority of manufacturers. Hopefully, locally sourced minerals, and polymers will eventually be implemented in creation outside of the PLA plastics used now. This will definitely take efforts of suppliers to recognize the opportunities

for their expansion and partner with forward thinking technology producers.

Punk + Culture

    This admission might surprise but I am not very punk. My sensibilities have never leaned that way. Do I have some lifelong punk friends? Sure. But the sensibilities have never been up my alley. Personalities of engineers do not usually lean this way, save the NASA mohawk guy. We definitely emphasize function over form and that means we can iterate till our hearts content. But when it comes to unique priceless peices we are always looking to estimate and satisfy contracts. Ikea designer, Bjorn Kusoffsky says 3d printing to will unleash a new punk design movement. The closest technical bridge are Architects and we know they fully adopted 3d printing. He also mentions the fact that 3-d studios exist where designers don't even have to own the 3-d printer in order to produce.

 We are moving from punk to cultured. There  is a documentary recently released at South by Southwest on the subject of 3d printing named Print the Legend. I hope to get a copy for review but until then the synopsis begins with the 3d printed gun and interviews from Cody Wilson to Bre Pettis, CEO of Makerbot. There are remarks as this being an attempt to control the narrative for controversial ideas surrounding 3d printing. The Austin Chronicle doesn't seem to be favorable towards the movie. But let's withold judgement until we get it in our hands.

Build your predictions on a solid foundation

     Predictions are tricky ask any weather forecaster and they will tell you that emphatically. However, they will also tell you that they are necessary because without them people would  still rely on a farmer's almanac. That is like relying on an encyclopedia and we know how their sales went. Often times being ahead of the curve means taking a risk. The rewards are there but you also may be embarrassed and may end up completely off base. Why would I be stating these obvious risks of business? Well there will be a deluge of news coming soon as South by South West Interactive Festival begins. After early January at CES in Las Vegas this should be the largest reveal of news for the year. We will see next week who will make the trip to Austin, Texas for the mixture of music, film and technology. The festival is consumer friendly but also a launching pad for cutting edge technologies.

   Something that will be in short supply in South by Southwest because of it's popularity is housing. Snoop Dogg will be designing a pop-house with Airbnb at South by Southwest this year. He actually documented the meeting and it was pretty interesting. However, they were going through a huge book with pictures and renderings. The Plan Collection has just introduced 3d printing of house plans which could add a real design and interactivity to projects like these for Airbnb. A model could be printed with internal and external views and instead of show houses more accurate and unique representations could successfully be constructed at a miniature scale. Full scale dining room tables can now be printed through the BigRep ONE which offers a 45 x 39 x 47". Which offers more unique home furnishings for Snoop Dogg to choose for his pop-up house. These are some of the new tools and utilizations we may see at the upcoming South by Southwest Interactive

Stepping on Legos

   

Once again moving from the abstract back to the near future again. What will 3-d printing diminutize or replace that we see as a popular institution? We have the Lego movie or rather the Lego industry at this point that we must consider. When I was young you graduated from Lincoln logs to Legos. A whole new world of creativity was opened to you. It was sort of like your first right of passage. Legos were of all shapes and sizes and you built the scenes that your imagination created. Then in my teenage years working at Target I saw general sets disappear of the shelves and saw licensed sets replace them. Next, Lego entered the realm of videogames and opened up their own amusement park. 3-d printing can now step in where Lego left to specialize. But will Lego brand their intellectual property to keep this from happening? While we continue to probe solutions and rapid prototype. Lego doesn't see their "tools" as being used this way. That doesn't mean Makers won't but that could definitely cause the two industries to butt heads.

Organs are almost human?

    Once again we visit the realm of Science Fiction with almost human. I continue to visit this futuristic society because many of the technological discoveries of 30 years ago have come true in the present day. Also because a network show like this is rare, has a pretty large budget and is in danger of not being renewed. So I decided I should harvest all the information I could. Before I discussed the ability of printers to meet each humans specifications for medicine and today we dealt with the advent of bio-printers their inherit errors in dealing with printing clones and the ancillary danger to humans. The antagonist was using an iterative process that we champion 3d printers to solve problems but at the physical expense of others. So while his method of problem solving travels right down the highway Makers are encouraged to set their navigation to. We find out with out that the familiar trope of power usually corrupts. As engineers, makers and scientists we figure that the laws put in place are enough to keep rogue elements that would not use this technology far out of our  sight and influence of the industry.

   Which brings us to the current items that are  being discussed. The Novogen MMX Bioprinter prints fully human architecturally correct 3-D tissue in a variety of different formats. I must admit that seeing the correlation of what happened on the small screen I want to get these facts very accurate. Where does plastic surgery end and 3d printing begin. Is it because it is for cosmetic purposes or can it be functional to take over for machines that do the same thing. Right now the tissue being printed is being sent out to test toxicity of potential treatments. Organovo's 5 and 10 year plans include using ones own cells to patch failing organs. So how far is Science fiction from science fact? I definitely advocate keeping shows like Almost Human around to see.