Hasta La Gadget!

As the god of gods, Zeus has a tremendous list of assets at his disposal. A 3D printer that can also scan and transmit objects, however, has until now been out of reach. AIO Robotics is gearing up to introduce the Zeus of the modern world, an all-in-one machine that duplicates 3D objects, even when they’re not nearby. The device, which will make its Kickstarter debut on September 4th, will function in much the same way as a traditional all-in-one printer, with the obvious advantage of being able to create three-dimensional objects. Pricing has yet to be announced, but the creators expect Zeus to cost less than a Makerbot Replicator and Digitizer combo. It’s also forecasted to be “the most reliable and usable 3D printer so far,” according to a RepRap forum post. Time will tell.

Filed under: Household, Peripherals

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Via: GigaOM

Source: AIO Robotics, RepRap

Somewhere out there a handful of Form 1 high-res 3D printer backers are jumping for joy now that Formlabs has launched a Mac version of its PreForm software. You might remember Form 1 as that project that made a killing on Kickstarter in 2012, raking in over $2 million, or more than 20 times its goal. The 3D model creation program was initially available only for Windows, but the firm will now simultaneously publish updates for both operating systems, starting with this latest release. In addition to support for Apple hardware, version 0.8.4 comes with the capability to automatically patch up holes and irregularities on 3D models, so they can be printed out quickly and smoothly. Both flavors of PreForm are up on Formlabs’ website, where the 3D printer itself is available for preorder with a $3,300 price tag and a November 2013 shipping date.

Filed under: Misc

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Source: Formlabs (1), (2)

Could 3D printing be the future of office supply stores? Staples, for one, has been dipping its toes in those rising waters, offering a limited selection of devices on its site. Office Depot’s following suit, making the seemingly logical move of including the third dimension in its printing offering. The chain announced today that it’s added 3D Systems’ Cube and CubeX to its online store, selling the printers for $1,299 and $2,499, respectively. It’s not quite a 3D printing kiosk in every store (who wouldn’t want a personalized Star Trek figure while you wait?), but it’s always nice to see a company looking to embrace emerging technology.

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Today, The UPS Store announced its plan to bring 3D printing services to the masses. The shipping company will soon roll out Stratasys Uprint SE Plus printers to 6 locations in San Diego to test out the new service; it’ll be aimed at small businesses, start-ups and retail customers in need of a professional grade model to produce things like prototypes and artistic renderings. At $20,900 a pop, Stratasys printers aren’t exactly the kind of gadget you’d purchase for home use, so their availability at UPS stores is a pretty major step towards making high quality 3D printing an accessible option for the common man. Though the company is starting small, it hopes to expand the service nationwide, provided that the San Diego experiment proves successful. For more info, check out the video after the break.

Filed under: Misc, Peripherals

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Via: GigaOM

Source: UPS

You’re not going to find it in the next car you drive off the lot, but a Ford engineer has developed a fairly novel approach to making a manual transmission a bit easier to adjust to: a vibrating shifter knob. As he explains in the video after the break, Zach Nelson first turned to an Xbox 360 controller for the necessary vibrating mechanism, which he then stuffed into a 3D-printed knob along with an Arduino controller and an LED display.

When fully assembled, the knob is able to communicate with the vehicle’s on-board diagnostic system using Ford’s open source OpenXC software platform, and vibrate to let you know when you need to shift gears. As Wired notes, the knob can even be used by more experienced drivers to pinpoint exactly when to shift to get either the most performance or the best fuel economy. We also expect a booming business in custom shifter designs to start any minute now.

Filed under: Misc, Transportation

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Via: Wired Autopia

Source: Ford (YouTube)