Jose Julio has taken a 3D printer and turned it into an air hockey opponent.  Using parts of the 3D printer, an Audrino board and a PS3 EYE camera, the system can track the puck and respond accordingly.  With its need to move accurately in the x/y direction, it’s easy to see why your 3D printer could be an excellent opponent. Continue reading →

I recently watched the Tedx talk above by the Creator of GoldieBlox, Debbie Sterling.  Her talk sucked me in instantly as it discussed the lack of female engineers, her inability to believe she ever “fit in” to the engineering world and her journey to create and fund GoldieBlox.  GoldieBlox is an awesome new toy set that seeks to introduce engineering themes to girls through the added context of reading and story which, through her research, more easily captivates young girls.

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Me at the 2002 Olympic ski jump in Salt Lake City

Have you been sucked into the winter Olympics like me the last 2 weeks?  I’m a sucker for curling.  Have you wondered if there are any 3D printed equipment in use?  There are tons of examples of 3D modeling used in things like bobsled, but actual printing applications appear to be few and far between.   Continue reading →

As part of their annual fashion show, Victoria’s Secret used a set of 3D printed angel wings.  The effort is assisted by Swarovski Crystal and Shapeways.  You can see a summary of the process here that even went as far as scanning the model, Lindsay Ellingson, to assure the perfect fit.  It has even gotten press in fashion publications like Style.  You probably won’t see this in you local store, falling more in the “Million Dollar Bra” category, but it’s another cool high profile application of 3D technology.

The Golden 3D Printed Moving Gear Football we Gave Away this Season

Sunday’s Super Bowl wasn’t much of a game and maybe 3D printing had a little to do with it.  It seemed like the Seattle Seahawks defenders were everywhere and Percy Harvin ran like he had a rockets on his back.  For the Super Bowl Nike released the new Nike Vapor Carbon 2014 Elite Cleat Continue reading →

You may remember our article about CGTrader last year.  They often have challenges for users to create 3D printable models around a theme.  The current challenge running through February 10th is a Valentine’s challenge.  Hurry and get your designs in for a chance to win a new 3D printer!

I love the video news series called Engineering Newswire by Product Design & Development. Think of it as a “Daily Show” for engineering with a great mix of real news and satire. Recently they had a piece on how GM reverse engineers rival cars using 3D scanning of interiors and exteriors. See it at the 1:50 mark above!  They also do a related “Kickstarter of the Week” series and here’s another link where they talk about a Kickstarter with mind reading EEG headwear that uses 3D printing to produce the helmet!

From my NASCAR ride-a-long day at Atlanta Motor Speedway

This Christmas we have the release of two new video game consoles with stunning visuals and realism along with the raw graphics power that continue to be seen in PC gaming.  Gamers are demanding more realism and the industry is delivering.  One of the places this is most evident is in sports games and the very competitive racing sector.  Unlike football or basketball, where 1-2 companies have a contractual monopoly to make games, in racing there is tons of competition and companies look for an edge. Continue reading →

Mold-A-Rama of JFK’s bust in honor of today’s 50th anniversary (used with permission).

I saw an article where McDonald’s is considering using in store 3D printers to make happy meal toys.  This could have lots of cool benefits from being having “perfect inventory” with no shortages/leftovers or being sure a customer gets just the toy they’re missing to complete a set.  Of course this brought back to mind the originator of this concept, Mold-a-Rama.   Continue reading →

Grant and his prize

Congrats to Grant of Made In Space (great company working to bring 3D printing to space exploration) who won our first annual NFL Survivor tournament!  He’s the proud recipient of the “gear” 3D printed football trophy made for us by GearUp3D.  Grant had the following comment on his win, “2013 was a year of destiny – I was determined to have that 3D printed football trophy. Continue reading →