Whether a kid beginning to tinker around or a well-seasoned engineer looking for a hobby, there’s just something about robotics that Makers of all ages and levels love. Sure, pre-built ‘bots are great, but DIY droids are even better. Unfortunately, constructing custom robots at home can be quite costly and difficult to attain the necessary components. That is why UK-based […]
While this may not be the first time both robotics and 3D printing came together to bring an idea to life, it is surely amongst the most incredible. Maker Brian Matthews — who runs the website Flapping Sprocket — recently created a 3D-printed, robotic parrot powered by an Arduino Mega (ATmega1280). Had the project been feathered, it could’ve […]
Two new studies have been released, both signifying growth for the 3D printing industry. According to Gartner’s latest forecast, worldwide shipments of 3D printers will reach 217,350 units in 2015 — up from 108,151 in 2014. These shipments are expected to more than double every year between now and 2018, by which time units are projected to surpass 2.3 million. As a result, the market once valued […]
Design that Matters, a Massachusetts non-profit focused on developing countries, recently developed prototypes of an instrument to measure oxygen levels and diagnose pneumonia in infants using an Atmel powered MakerBot Replicator 2. Created by a team of MIT and Rhode Island School of Design students, the Pelican pocket pulse oximeter is an affordable and durable tool that can be used […]
Once again, doctors have successfully used 3Dprinting to save the life — or in this case foot — of a patient. Recently, surgeons at a New York hospital have credited 3D printing with helping to save the life of a two-week-old baby who required complicated heart surgery. Now, a staff of Australian doctors have carried out the world’s first procedure […]
No stranger to Bits & Pieces, designer Francis Bitonti is back with his newest creation: 3D-printed shoes generated using John Conway’s Game of Life. Earlier this year, the New York-based technologist debuted The Bristle Dress – which was created using an AVR powered MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer. With his latest project, however, he has taken another step forward in converging both the Maker Movement and fashion worlds. […]
As 3D printers continue to head mainstream, where they will one day be as ubiquitous as its inkjet predecessors, we can expect to see a number of practical, real-world applications from cars to food to toys. However, aside from cost and convenience factors, some uses will go one step further to truly ‘make’ a difference in the lives of others. That’s the basis […]
While we like to believe that safes are, in fact, safe, the Australian duo of Luke Jahnke and Jay Davis have developed an inexpensive gadget to demonstrate the mechanism’s security vulnerabilities. The pair of security professionals recently revealed a $150 safe-cracker devised from a custom [Atmel based] Arduino, 3D-printed components, and salvaged electronics including a step motor (perviously used in stage lighting) for rotation […]
While General Electric has been at the forefront of 3D printing jet engine parts, they aren’t the only ones using the technology for production. Japanese company id.arts was recently tasked with creating a working model of a two-axis rotary jet engine for well-known heavy equipment manufacturer, IHI Corporation. IHI specializes in producing turbochargers for cars, industrial machines, ships, suspension bridges, […]
While we have covered some pretty awesome 3D-printed homes here on Bits & Pieces, this one certainly takes the cake. Adam Kushner and his team are planning to 3D print an entire 2,400-square-foot house that, of course, comes with a 3D-printed swimming pool. The New York-based contractor has made a name for himself in the construction industry over the […]
