If I were to tell you that you can get a complete, worldwide
patent search conducted on your invention idea for $9.99, you would
think I just swallowed a whole lot of advertising bull. I thought it
was too good to be true too, so I went to the source, the company that
owns and offers the ideaAPP for Apple and PC products, and asked the
founder an irritating amount of questions. He answered.
There’s something universally appealing about the concept of a 3D printer — that concept being an automated system capable of turning computer code into real-world objects. I found myself forced to give a brief overview of the technology to AOL employees in our shared New York City office space after a particularly noisy initial run of MakerBot’s Replicator. Reactions to such explanations tend to follow a fairly standard arc, beginning with wide-eyed wonder as one attempts to wrap their brain around the idea, followed almost immediately by a list of things they’d love to print out, given a chance. This is usually coupled with questions like “can it print food?” and “can I print a car?” Both of which speak to that larger, vitally important question: “can I print anything useful?” This, in turn, speaks to another important concern: “how long until it pays for itself?”
When we received an unexpected package from the folks at MakerBot last Friday, we realized it would afford us the opportunity to field some of these questions. Though, before opening the thing, we can tell you pretty confidently that, if you’re looking for something that will “pay for itself,” that answer won’t come in a giant cardboard box with a MakerBot logo on the side. Some key questions are a little less straightforward, however, like whether or not this technology is ready for consumers — or if it’s still just the territory of enthusiasts.
Continue reading MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home?
Filed under: Peripherals, Robots
MakerBot Replicator impressions: the dawning of 3D printers in every home? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Once in a while, we end up looking at a particular piece of Lego art that will definitely turn heads. This is one of those times, especially when you are sick and tired of doing this particular activity known as “walking”. If you think that this activity of walking is a chore, perhaps you might want to pull some help from the Lego Motorized Wheelchair. Obviously, you are unable to purchase this from any off the shelf Lego set, but rather, you will need to purchase your fair bit of Lego Mindstorm parts to end up with such a creation.
According to Lego robot builder Simon “Burf” Burfield, this particular Lego Motorized Wheelchair is what he deems as the first motorized wheelchair of its kind in the world. The entire system tips the scales at 44 pounds, where it relied on half a dozen Lego Mindstorms NXTs, 12 Mindstorms motors, an equal number of Lego Mindstorms touch sensors, as well as 12 Rotacaster mult-directional wheels in addition to an entire bunch of Lego Technic. Not the fastest motorized wheelchair on the market, but while it does not measure up in speed, it does have its fair share of carrying capacity, capable of carrying someone up to 90kg.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Domaster and Tetrawing: The ultimate LEGO Game Boy creation?, Death Star made from 30,000 LEGO pieces,
Burf aka Simon Burfield is an iOS programmer and Lego experimenter who tries to take building blocks to the next level. Interestingly, if this wild rideable Lego wheelchair is any indication, he’s left the next level and is now firmly in the distant future.
Made with 12 Lego NXT motors and 12 multi-directional wheels, this carefully designed prototype can carry around a 198 pound person and is controlled via a small joystick. It can move in multiple directions and even roll side to side to “strafe” through a room.
Obviously this is a one-off DIY project, but it’s amazing how far a little ingenuity, a whole lot of Lego, and an underdeveloped sense of the dangers associated with sitting on a bunch of little plastic blocks can get you.
If your family eats a lot of fiber, you too can have a rebel fleet with a complete armada of X-Wing fighters made out of toilet paper tubes. This squadron’s company motto is “Wipe your butt, then wipe out the Empire.” “Do your duty for the fleet.” Okay, enough bathroom humor.
This is a cool project to turn your discarded toilet paper tubes into something useful and geeky. I didn’t come across any instructions, but if you just look at the images at homemademagic you can see how easy it is to create your own X-Wing. In addition to the T.P. rolls, you’ll probably need some paper towel tubes, cardboard and tape as well.
The X-Wing pilot shirt is of course required if you are going to be flying these things in both hands and making X-Wing noises. Even though many of us will look like Jek Porkins doing it. Okay guys, start using up more T.P. and make yourself a rebel fighter now!
[via Obvious Winner]
Before sharing a playlist of songs with a crush was as simple as a few clicks, the mixtape was a labor of love; a time-consuming project. Every song was carefully considered. That’s all gone now, of course, but this DIY MP3 player conjured up by MakerBot can help bring it back. More »
A pair of MIT researchers—Ilan Moyer and Nadya Peek—have created a briefcase that can be used to create almost anything, including a duplicate of itself. And that’s because inside the case is a multi-purpose tool that works as a CNC mill, a precision cutter, and a 3D printer. More »
We caught our first glimpse at the new, simplified Arduino Leonardo at Maker Faire back in September of last year. At the time, we were promised a late October shipping date, but it failed to materialize. Finally, Massimo Banzi has taken the wraps off the slimmed down microcontroller and its now in stock at retailers across the web. The Leonardo sports a new pin layout, dubbed R3 (which the Uno has also been updated with), that will become standard across all Arduino boards. That’s a big deal for shield makers who only have to design and manufacture an add-on once to ensure it’s compatible with the entire product line. The new layout also adds some extra pins and versatility, especially in the realm of shields, which can use to the new IOREF pin to determine the voltage of the processor and thus its model. That means a shield doesn’t have to be designed specifically with the new ARM-based Due in mind. The other big news is that the circuitry for converting USB to serial communication and the processor itself have been combined, which not only simplifies the design and drives down costs, but allows it to communicate directly with a computer and imitate all sorts of accessories (such as keyboards and mice). Best of all, is the price. The Leonardo, complete with headers, costs just $25 — a good $10 less than the Uno — while the headerless, solder-friendly version retails for $22.50. Check out the video after the break for a few more details from Massimo himself.
Continue reading Arduino Leonardo finally launches with new pin layout, lower price (video)
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Arduino Leonardo finally launches with new pin layout, lower price (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 22:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hey look! The Doctor fixed the Chameleon circuit. It doesn’t look like a Police Box at all now. More of a Police Shed. However, you’ll notice that that Dalek isn’t fooled for one minute. Unless he’s just after some pruning sheers or something.
This is a nice bit of TARDIS art. It was actually completed about a decade ago, but the man behind the project, Tardisbuilders user Einstein19, is just getting around to sharing it with the world now.
That only makes sense. He was clearly busy exploring time and space with some hot young companions. Hey, if I had a TARDIS shed, I would have done the same. The internet can wait. Any neighbors who come over to borrow tools naturally get sucked into an adventure or two. That will teach them.
[via Walyou via Nerd Approved]
This summer has been one of the harshest in recent memory in the US, with record heat waves and more than half of the country experiencing the worst drought conditions in more than 50 years. And in an even more troubling development, an iceberg twice the size of Manhattan broke away from Greenland this week. The need to develop clean alternatives to fossil fuels and water-saving technologies is more urgent than ever, but we’re making progress in several key areas. In California, scientists fired 192 lasers onto a single point, producing an amazing 500 trillion watts of energy and bringing them one step closer to starting a nuclear fusion reaction that would produce an unlimited supply of clean energy. In another promising development, a teenager in Egypt figured out a way to turn the country’s plastic waste into $78 million worth of fuel.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation, Science
Inhabitat’s Week in Green: liter of light project, space tourism and a ‘Hyperloop’ train originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jul 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
