The Magic Kingdom’s Mad Scientists 3D Print Optics

Just a quick reality check for everyone who thinks Disney is just an entertainment company. The company owns the world’s fifth largest navy (by ship count), operates an intelligence division, and has developed a way to add a capacitive touch interface to…plants.

Now, the mad scientists of Disney Research, the company’s research arm, have ventured into 3D printing. In conjunction with Carnegie Melon University, Disney researchers have published a paper exploring the possibility of adding optics to 3D printed objects. The method essentially prints “light pipes,” which are similar to optical fiber, to transmit light from one point to another. For example, a small model of an animal could have internal light pipes leading from the base of the figurine to the eyes. When placed on top of a light source, the light would travel up the light pipe, and the eyes would be illuminated. Printing the light pipes at the same time as the rest of the model allows for them to be embedded directly into the object. Adding a large quantity of extremely small light pipes grouped together creates a display of sorts, as seen in the chess piece below.

Chess piece with 3D printed optics

Printing in clear optic material, when paired with a light source, can create amazingly complex light bulbs and reflective lenses. When paired with an embedded light source and senors, an interactive device could in theory be printed, for example a very creepy figurine with areas that light up when spoken to (see video below). That thing may haunt my dreams.

Via: phys.org

 

 

 

Ann Marie Shillito talks about Anarkik3D

I sat down with Ann Marie Shillito, founder of Anarkik3D to talk 3D printing, design, haptics, and fundraising. Her company is doing exciting work and offers an innovative haptic 3D design solution for artists, designers, and creatives. Anarkiki3D’s is currently involved in an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to fine tune the software and further develop the offering.

What is your background and how did you get into the 3D design and printing space?

I am a designer, maker and jeweler. My designs are very contemporary in nature and I work in non-precious metals and materials, such as titanium. I design for limited production and carried out six months research into laser cutting titanium as part of this more sustainable business model. I discovered I had to learn CAD as digital data was required for the process. This was in 1990 and I tried out a number of different CAD packages but had to settle for an industry standard compatible with processing for laser cutting.

During this time period I attended a master class in London at the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths where I am a Freeman (by redemption!).

3D printed wedding ring
3D printed wedding ring designed by Ann Marie Shillito, printed by i.materialise

The presentation was by goldsmith Stuart Devlin and mainly about his use of 3D CAD. At the very end he had images of a ring that had been 3D printed in wax. He then presented a scenario of going into a high street jewelers, and using a computer application to select different units, elements such as stones, as well as the fittings and findings to construct a bespoke jewel. This is then 3D printed in wax and cast in silver or gold, and the piece is finished with the stones set.  The customer returns the next day to collect their bespoke jewel. This process is used now, and will become more widespread especially with direct 3D printing in gold, bypassing the casting bit. Just last year I designed my daughter’s wedding and engagement rings. The diamond was set and attached to a hand-wrought gold ring in such a way that the metal of the 3D printed titanium wedding ring flows around the stone.

In laymen’s terms, what does Anarkik3D do?

Anarkik3D develops software applications using virtual 3D touch, with a haptic device taking the place of the standard mouse to provide more natural and familiar 3D interactions.

Haptics is a tactile feedback technology that provides a real sense of physical interaction with the virtual objects being created.  Touch is fundamental for understanding our 3D world. Many of us find it difficult to cognitively adapt to working digitally and virtually in 3 dimensions without touch to signify what and where. The sensation of virtual 3D touch is very difficult to get across as it is impossible to describe and hard to imagine. Best is to try it, 2nd best is to watch a video!

In 2008 the company developed its own brand software product, a 3D sketch/modeling package Cloud9, which is targeted at creatives – the designer makers, applied artists and studio artists in particular, who want a more intuitive and easier-to-use system than the engineering-led CAD packages normally used for 3D modeling.  For designers Cloud9 is great for ‘quick and dirty’, ‘fail fast’ concept generation, creation and prototyping.

Cloud9 is bundled with the low cost, off-the-shelf Falcon haptic device from Novint Technologies Inc. to provide a tool to easily and quickly get into learning, using and being creative from the word go. Despite its ease of use, Cloud9 and Falcon are both thoughtfully developed for professional use.  Designs created in Cloud9 can then be turned into physical objects using 3D printing.

Designer using Novint's Falcon haptic device and Cloud9 software

How has Anarkik3D’s Cloud9 evolved as an offering?

In 2007 Novint contracted Anarkik3D to build an entry-level freebie sketch/modeling app., ‘Cre8’ to complement their growing portfolio of hapticated games that use their Falcon device. We came to an arrangement whereby we could continue to build on the platforms established for Cre8 to develop greater functionality. Being able to export models in .stl format (supported by 3D printers) was one of the first to be added!

What have the biggest challenges been?

Two come immediately to mind! One is effectively communicating the concept of virtual 3D touch software, and the other is actually financing the software development. We have not been successful in raising any investment so Cloud9 has been boot-strapped with internal investment from the two founders (I am one and the other was the senior programmer who also worked with me in the Proof Of Concept stage), small Scottish Enterprise grants, a SMART Award to prototype the architectural frame, family loans, and the small crowdfunding initiative we set up in 2008. The crowdfunding project was called AnarkikAngels and had a dual purpose. Paying salaries of course, but also to establish a group of users, mainly within the creative arts and design sectors, who would use Cloud9 in a professional capacity and through their feedback inform its development.

Another big challenge is marketing a haptic application such as Cloud9. To grasp just how extraordinary virtual 3D touch is you have to try it. Demos, which are good in that they are one to one, are not an effective method to achieve the mass market. The difficulty in showcasing the software and interface makes is challenging to reach a mass market and keep the product at an inclusive affordable price. Videos are a low second best method for explaining the concept.

What sets Anarkik3D apart from other offerings on the market?

It is the inclusion of the sense of touch through force feedback and of movement in 3 dimensions that mainly sets Anarkik3D’s product apart from most of the other offerings on the market. There is FreeForm and Claytools from Sensable which use their OMNI haptic device which has 6 degrees of freedom (DoF), ie. X, Y and Z plus rotation in 3 axes. The Falcon has 3DoF (no rotation) and we get over this through clever programming and the resulting interactions do have advantages for modeling and navigating the 3D user space. The main differentiation between Sensable’s products and Cloud9 is the price entry point. Our focus is on accessibility which means a good balance between quality of interaction and affordability, plus a very robust device. Maintaining a non-complex interface means that with Cloud9 you can be creating from the word go as it is easy to learn, use and retain. Cloud9 is designed for those artists and designers who work at things other than a computer! We have deliberately focused on non-CAD people who want a digital design tool and access to 3D printing for the advantages technology can bring to their practice.

What do you see as the most exciting aspects of Anarkik3D, and the industry in general?

Personally, I am excited by the convergence of affordable 3D printing and Cloud9 at a level of development where the solution has been thoroughly tested for usability by persons for 5 to 80, and from amateurs to professional artists and designer makers. Making the tools accessible to as wide a customer base as possible opens up the technologies to people with abundant talent and multiple skills capable of creating the most wonderful objects for all of us to enjoy. I am writing a book on this subject and I am overwhelmed by the speed that technologies such as laser cutting and 3D printing are being taken up by designer makers and studio artists and by the gobsmackingly beautiful things being designed and made. I would like Cloud9 to become a well loved and used tool in the creatives’ tool box – just as my jewelers’ piercing saw has been for me since student days.

For the 3D printing industry more generally the growing options for materials (titanium and chocolate are and will be my all time favorites) and lowering of printing costs will have a huge impact on designers’ pipelines, with more ‘quick and dirty’ concept modeling at the earliest stages (back of envelope stage). Designers will increasingly be able to use DIY/desktop/home 3D printers and software such as Cloud9, Sketchup, etc. to rough out ideas and print many variations and iterations to market test.

My greater interest is in how designer makers will use whichever type or material best fits the objects in mind, as well as customize, iterate and add high value to lowly materials through design, construction using other components, and beautiful hand finishing.

How do you see products like Anarkik3D playing a role in the education market?

One interesting area in which Cloud9 can and is already playing an important role is enabling artists and craftspeople to achieve a better balance between the advantages that technologies offer and the satisfaction that hand working gives. CAD requires an inordinate amount of time learning the program to become competent enough to be able to start being creative. This is the opposite of the qualities of a pencil – as a supreme example of elegant simplicity. Anyone can pick it up and make marks without any training. Ok, the initial results will be rough and unformed but usable and serviceable. Practice will yield huge improvements quickly leading to mastery. As a lecturer in jewelry and metalwork at degree level I see students, in the applied arts particularly, who have to choose one or the other as time-wise at college it is not possible to reach a professional level in both their craft and in digital design competency. The situation is even more difficult out of college and away from the technical support. With products such as Rhino and Cloud9 it is possible to get a good balance.

Cloud9 is also ideal in schools as the Falcon is pretty tough and kids can get into designing and constructing straight away with very little tutoring as the methods of interaction and the functions are straight forward and familiar. There is little adaption needed. Cloud9 is ideal for introducing digital creativity to kids in the arts and crafts as it does not have an engineering bias and is great for creating more organic forms. These can then be used as an introduction to designing for technology such as 3D printing.

Besides all of this, virtual touch has WOW factor making it very cool and appealing to most kids.

Where do you see Anarkik3D in five years?  The industry in general?

I am loath to make predictions as far into the future as five years because the whole 3D industry is changing and morphing so rapidly, who knows what we will be developing and what will be possible. To be specific, who would have predicted five years ago the state of consumer 3D printing as the reality it is now. And 3D printing titanium as a commercially viable venture for an individual designer to use would have seemed to be very fanciful. Yet last year I did just that. And now 3D printing gold is here.

What keeps you up at night?

All the concerns that any small business owner and manager has, such as cash flow, holding onto employees, etc. As a micro-business a major concern is about being left on the sidelines, or pushed there by not just competitors but by being too small to have research and development continue at a high enough level to retain our cutting edge and on the other side never having enough resources to do sufficient marketing.

Our current IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign is what is keeping me up at night. We see it as an amazing opportunity and way of introducing our product to a global market and for building the community of users to continue informing the development of Cloud9. We have a finite number of days to raise $120K, which is quite a modest sum for software development.  I stay up late keeping on top of the tight schedule we have to raise awareness through different means to make the connections we need to attract contributions. If we succeed, IndieGoGo takes just 4% of what we raise. If we don’t succeed they take 9%. That is pressure enough to keep working into the night!

And thank you for this opportunity to tell Anarkik3D’s story and flag up our IndieGoGo campaign.

Special thanks to Ann Marie for taking the time to share her thoughts and experiences with me. Contribute to her crowdfunding campaign here. I look forward to seeing Anarkik3D grow and develop.

Friday Round Up – eBook maddness

This week I think the major story is the developments in the eBook/eReader market. Amazon, Microsoft, Barnes & Noble, Target, and possibly Apple all made strategic moves this week.

I’m not sure at the moment what the overarching story is, but lets run through the weeks two big developments. As more becomes clear, I plan of following up on this with a longer post.

1.) Microsoft invests in Nook. Expect to see a Nook app bundled with upcoming Windows 8 tablets. Also, this week, the Nook app becomes the top book app in the Apple App Store.

Microsoft announced on Monday that it would invest $300 million in Barnes & Noble’s Nook division for a 17.6 percent stake. The deal values the e-reader business at $1.7 billion.

Microsoft to Take Stake in Nook Unit of Barnes & Noble

2.) Target pulls Amazon Kindle from its shelves.  Maybe to appease Apple as the company increases its in-store retail presence at Targets and Walmarts, maybe due to anger over Amazon’s price cutting, or maybe just because sales of Kindles may be tanking.

Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad don’t compete directly with each other. The Kindle is much cheaper, for one thing. But they do compete in terms of e-books, and that has become a flash point in recent weeks. The Department of Justice announced last month that it had filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple and six publishers, accusing them of colluding on pricing. Apple denied the accusation and said the launch in 2010 of the iBookstore was aimed at breaking Amazon’s “monopolistic grip” on the e-book market.

Meanwhile, Target can’t be too pleased with Amazon’s rather brazen policy of undercutting the prices of traditional retailers. Though the Kindle was Target’s top-selling e-reader on Black Friday last year, the retailer clearly believes that if it must choose, Apple is the choice to make.

Why did Target boot Amazon’s Kindle?

Also, I’m reading Game of Thrones book five, A Dance with Dragons, and it is excellent.  Nothing to analyze there, its just a great book.

Sub-$500 3D Printer, good way to spend tax return?

Solidoodle, the pet project of former MakerBot COO Sam Cervantes was announced last week to much fanfare… at least if you read a lot about 3D printers. For many, it might be the first one they read about that even lists the price. Most people probably don’t quite grasp the significance of Solidoodle, so here it is spelled out very simple.

Its cheap. Like 25% of the next lowest option (around $2,000).  Think of it as an even larger price drop than when Amazon launched the Kindle Fire for $199, bringing tablet affordability to consumers who winced at the price of an iPad, which even stripped down to minimal specs runs $499. Android tablets from Samsung and Motorola have similar high price points. The Kindle Fire now has 50% of the Android tablet market, and accounts for 30% of total tablet purchases. And that is after only being on the market for FOUR months.

No one is claiming that Solidoodle will be printing out commercial quality objects or high-end jewerly, at the moment the printer only supports printing with ABS filament, and the level of detail does not look amazing. Nonetheless, it is now possible to order a functional 3D printer for less than an iPad, a plane trip, or even most people’s tax returns.

See Solidoodle in action.

Friday Round Up

This is an experiment, we’ll see how it goes. I’ve had trouble setting aside the time to write longer posts lately, but want to share what I’ve been reading and thinking about this past week. We’ll try this out and if it works, great.

1.) Asteroid Mining. I don’t even think I need to really expand on this, obviously it is a crazy super-villainesque idea that any space-loving nerd should be into. The idea of establishing fuel and resource depots in space has been kicking around my head (and many others) for a long time, and according to some, its not even as tricky as what we are already doing with deep sea mining. Love it!

2.) Brisketlab! A secret “underground meat guild” being set up by Daniel Delaney, street food expert and creator of the VendrTV web video series. He went to Texas, bought a 14′ smoker and a truck load of wood, and brought it back to Brooklyn. Have not met him yet, but looking forward to the feasting this summer.

3.) Peter Thiel gave a lecture for his Stanford class on startups that was neatly typed up and shared by a student, Blake Masters.  Thiel talks about the difference between capitalism and competition, namely that for a business to success the two are not necessarily linked together. If a market is too competitive, then you will be facing an impossible task, especially if you did not get in to it at the right time.

You can imagine a tech market where nothing is happening for a long time, things suddenly start to happen, and then it all stops. The tech frontier is temporal, not geographical. It’s when things are happening.

Consider the automotive industry. Trying to build a car company in the 19thcentury was a bad idea. It was too early. But it’s far too late to build a traditional car company today. Car companies—some 300 of them, a few of which are still around—were built in 20th century. The time to build a car company was the time when car technology was being created—not before, and not after.

We should ask ourselves whether the right time to enter a tech industry is early on, as conventional wisdom suggests. The best time to enter may be much later than that. It can’t be too late, since you still need room to do something. But you want to enter the field when you can make the last great development, after which the drawbridge goes up and you have permanent capture. You want to pick the right time, go long on tech, succeed, and then short tech.

Peter Thiel via Blake Masters

I’ll be trying to keep up on Thiel’s lectures, very interesting stuff.  Wonder where he thinks the 3D printing market is?  I say now is the time to get in, and do it quickly.

Samsung Galaxy Note Review and Test Report

This review appeared originally in Frequent Business Traveler on April 1, 2012. Reprinted with permission.

Ever since smartphones added touch displays and ditched physical keyboards there has been a steady trend towards increasingly large screens.  With the Galaxy Note, Samsung has presented a serious challenge to all other companies who would dare to compete with them in the phone size race.

It is in many ways a well designed and executed smartphone, but ultimately it is one of the most frustrating mobile devices I have had the pleasure of reviewing because its sheer size limits its appeal and utility.  It is a phone for people who really want a Kindle Fire but don’t want to carry around two devices, or those who never actually put their phones in their pockets, and huge handed giants (NBA players maybe?).

HOW BIG IS IT?

To be clear, the Galaxy Note is huge.  Its 5.3” screen is crystal clear, and shines when used in an environment that allows for two handed operation.  The screen is a 1280 x 800 Super Amoled, and is stunning when you are using a game or app that showcases its bright colors and deep contrasts.

The Galaxy Note is relatively light (178 grams) and slim considering its size.  The dimensions are 146.85 x 82.95 x 9.65 mm.  For comparison, the Galaxy Nexus S II, its predecessor, is 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.49 mm and weighs 116 grams.  While the Note is significantly larger than the iPhone 4S , it is actually only 0.35 mm thicker.

The weight and slimness of the Note is admirable, however, the device ultimately feels somewhat fragile.  The back panel of the Note is a practically paper thin plastic panel, which, although lightweight,  does not give you much confidence in terms of durability.  I can easily imagine the panel breaking if you are not careful when removing it to get at the SIM and SD card slots.  Dropping a smartphone is never a good idea, but the Note in particular, feels as though it would have trouble surviving anything but a light impact.  This is unfortunate, because it also very hard to operate one-handed without risking an accident.  Held in the hand, offerings from Motorola and Apple feel much more solid, but considering its size there is no denying the sleekness of the Galaxy Note.

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE HARDWARE

The Note is bursting with power and zips along quickly as you switch between apps and load pages over AT&T’s 4G network.  Android 2.3.6 runs smoothly and without lag on the dual-core 1.5 Ghz processor.  Even the strange S Pen stylus is oddly useful for some tasks.

As on other Android devices, there are four capacitive touch buttons that line the bottom edge of the phone, allowing access to settings, home, back, and search functions.  Strangely, these buttons do not work with the S Pen, making it impossible to use only the S Pen when navigating the device.  I ended up pointlessly tapping the back button with the stylus many times, before I would remember that I had to use my finger.

On the upper right side is the power and sleep button, and on the upper left side are the volume controls.  Having these controls in the same spot but on opposite sides is not ideal, as I would inevitably pick up the phone with my right hand, and end up accidently changing the volume setting with my thumb when putting the phone in sleep mode.  Not a huge problem, but if you always keep your phone on vibrate it can be annoying to accidentally turn the volume up and not realize it until you get a call.

The top of the phone has the 3.5mm headphone jack, and along the bottom the microUSB charging slot and storage for the S Pen.  The S Pen slot is designed well; I did not have any problems getting it out quickly when I needed it and it was unobtrusive when I did not need it (which was most of the time).  On the back of the device there is a single speaker, which has a surprising high sound level.  Using the speakerphone was great, I could keep the Note a few feet away from me and hear every word, and I had no complaints from anyone about the clarity of the call.

The Note is equipped with an eight megapixel camera on the back with 1080/30p HD video recording, and two mega pixel camera on the front for video chatting.  Both do perfectly fine as far as phone cameras go, although the inclusion of a dedicated camera button would be nice, as the Note is so large that it is virtually impossible hold the camera and hit the photo button one handed.

The S Pen is an interesting addition for the device.  It actually works pretty well for taking notes in either the included S Memo app or in Evernote, and making notes on top of screenshots and pictures could potentially be useful.  For example, I took a screenshot of my neighborhood in Google Maps and then put an X over my house and drew an arrow showing how to get there from the nearest subway.  You can’t shake the feeling though that the S Pen will make more sense for a larger device, such as the upcoming Galaxy Note 10.1.  The available apps that are designed for the S Pen should increase when Samsung releases the S Pen Premium Suite of stylus-optimized apps, which the company announced would be bundled with the coming upgrade to Android 4.0.

USER INTERFACE AND SOFTWARE

The Galaxy Note runs Android 2.3.6, and Samsung has announced its intent to upgrade the Note to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) sometime in Q2.  The delay is par for the course for Android devices running carrier modified versions of Android, so it is not unexpected.  In the case of the Note, however, the upgrade may be more important, as Ice Cream Sandwich promises to do more to unify the experience of Android tablets and smartphones.  For a device that is confused about which it class of mobile device it wants to be, delivering a more tablet-like experience will make it more appealing.

As always with customized UIs, when I set up the Note the first ten minutes were spent clearing away the TouchWiz widgets that crowd the screen and drain the battery.  Basic functionality is incredibly smooth, with nice touchscreen gesture support for calling from the contact list (swipe left to call, swipe right to text).  Texting and e-mailing is really easy to accomplish on the large screen, assuming you hold it two-handed.  One-handed operation while typing is not impossible, but is not ideal unless you have large, long thumbs.

The Note shines for gaming and multimedia.  The games I downloaded from Google Play (the rebranded Android Market) ran fast with not lag, and the large screen made controlling the games much easier than the somewhat cramped experience of smaller phones.  Youtube videos looked good, as did video content on Web sites.

Google Maps looked amazing on the huge screen, and the size meant that I did far less zooming in and out and panning across the map as I used it.  Because I could hold it in one hand while walking, it was better for pedestrian navigation needs than a tablet.

Interestingly, I actually began using voice commands for the first time when testing the Note, mainly because of how often I found myself in situations where I wanted to use the device one handed but did not want to risk dropping it.  All the voice features actually worked well, although I’m not sure that they make up for the bulky size.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Despite the legal issues that Samsung has run into regarding alleged copyright infringement of Apple’s patent, the two companies could not be approaching the mobile device market with more different strategies.  Apple sells one size of iPhone and one size of iPad, and consumers can take it or leave it (they mostly take it).  Samsung veers wildly in the other direction and offers every conceivable size of smartphone and tablet.  They offer Galaxy Tablets in 7”, 7.7”, 8.9”, 10.1”, and now the Galaxy Note smartphone in 5.3” and Galaxy Note tablet in 10.1”.  Once you factor in the connectivity options (Wi-Fi only, 4G, 3G) the options become dizzying.

The Galaxy Note exists on the bridge between Samsung’s smartphone business and its tablet offerings, and almost pulls off the trick of being both.  Unfortunately, it is destined to be a device for only a certain breed of consumer.  It is simply too large to appeal to everyone, and does not quite replace a tablet in your device library.  Despite its size, amazing display, and snappy response, if you are a heavy tablet user, the Note still feels like a phone.  And frankly, unless you never put your phone in your pocket, or wear looser jeans with the extra cargo room, the Note is destined to be carried in a bag of some sort

More casual tablet users or those who are aggressively trying to reduce the number of gadgets they carry around might be happy using the Note for both.  Heavy travelers might find that they could lighten their load by leaving their full-size tablet at home, while still enjoying the large display for reading, maps, and Web surfing.  The Note may also find a niche market with heavy gamers.  Business users or artists may fall in love with the S Pen for taking notes and sketching out ideas.  Those with freakishly large hands will rejoice that Samsung is finally thinking of their needs.

Personally, the Galaxy Note grew on me and I find its display and extra screen real estate a fair trade off for its admittedly ridiculous size.  However, any interested buyers would be wise to try one out before making the purchase.  It will delight some, and alienate others, so buy with caution.

A Third Industrial Revolution?

Jeremy Rifkin, author of The Third Industrial Revolution, How Lateral Power is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World, has an interesting article up on the Huffington Post, which appears to be exerted from a more detailed piece in the World Financial Review.

He argues that economic revolutions occur when new communications systems merge with new energy systems, which in turn leads to increased expansion and integration in trading and complex commercial activities, all aided by the ongoing advancements in communication.  Following this model, he states that Internet technologies and renewable energy advancements are coming together to lay the foundation for what he calls the Third Industrial Revolution (TIR).  The theory is that technology advances will enable localized/democratized production of information and energy.

I think his outlook may be a bit on the optimistic side, but there is no doubt that our communications technologies and our green technologies are destined to be melded together.  The so-called Internet of Things, a concept which envisions almost everything being electronically traceable and connected (not unlike how Walmart gained its competitive edge via its logistics system of tracking all products in the supply chain), has the potential to lead to amazing new levels of energy efficiency.   IBM’s Smarter Planet initiative uses big data analysis to improve utility networks, power grids, and transportation infrastructure.

Rifkin goes on to explore the next step in the TIR, that of localized manufacturing.

While the TIR economy allows millions of people to produce their own virtual information and energy, a new digital manufacturing revolution now opens up the possibility of following suit in the production of durable goods. In the new era, everyone can potentially be their own manufacturer as well as their own internet site and power company. The process is called 3-D printing; and although it sounds like science fiction, it is already coming online, and promises to change the entire way we think of industrial production.

Think about pushing the print button on your computer and sending a digital file to an inkjet printer, except, with 3-D printing, the machine runs off a three-dimensional product. Using computer aided design, software directs the 3-D printer to build successive layers of the product using powder, molten plastic, or metals to create the material scaffolding. The 3-D printer can produce multiple copies just like a photocopy machine. All sorts of goods, from jewelry to mobile phones, auto and aircraft parts, medical implants, and batteries are being “printed out” in what is being termed “additive manufacturing,” distinguishing it from the “subtractive manufacturing,” which involves cutting down and pairing off materials and then attaching them together.

To anyone who doubts that 3D printing is up-and-coming, consider that the industry is expected to reach $3.1 billion globally by 2016 and $5.2 billion by 2020.

Currently the cost of additive manufacturing, although it produces less waste then traditional subtractive manufacturing, makes it limited in its application.  Although the technology is moving swiftly forward, we are not to the point were everyone can have a 3D printer on their desk.  We might not even go in that direction; the technology might find its home in businesses and office environments, much like fax machines and photocopiers.

I like Rifkin’s model of energy tech + communications = economic advancement and expansion.  The economic gains and opportunities for many small businesses are made possible because of the decrease in marketing and logistics costs that e-commerce allows.  The growth of companies in the consumer 3D printing sector is already impressive, with sites such as Shapeways and Ponoko allowing designers to sell their products via an e-commerce platform.  Although still in the early stages of development, lowering the barrier to entry for creatives to market their goods is an encouraging sign of things to come.  A designer in Africa can sell jewrey on Shapeways that is printed to order in Eindhoven, Neatherlands and then sent to the buyer in the U.S.  Building platforms that democratize design in this way is the first step.

The next stage of this process is the increasing localization of the manufacturing process, regardless of where the design is taking place. Shapeways, who also works with business partners to print orders, is in the process of opening a NYC production facility, which will reduce the shipping and carbon footprint.  NYC-based companies MakerBot and Buildatron both offer home printers based on open source designs, for those who are more adventurous.

To realize Rifkin’s vision of the Third Industrial Revolution even more businesses in this space will need to be nurtured, so that the potential for localized production of material goods is expanded.

Interesting times indeed.

 

photo by: chris.corwin

Janos Stone talks about MeCube

I sat down recently with Janos Stone, CEO and founder of MeCube, a 3D design and printing company.  The company is in its early startup stages and Janos was generous enough to share some thoughts about the company, art, creativity, and the future of 3D printing.

What is your background and how did you get into the 3D design and printing space?

My background is in sculpture.  I earned an undergraduate degree in sculpture design at the Rhode Island School of Design, and went on to complete a Masters degree in sculpture from Boston University.

After graduation I became interested in the relationships we all have with each other through cyberspace and the Internet, and with the relationship that we have with cyberspace and the internet as technologies.  This very slowly led me towards learning about new and emerging technologies, and since I had a background in sculpture, particularly towards technologies that dealt with 3D.  Then, about seven or eight years ago, I saw my first 3D printer and began to try to figure out ways to incorporate that technology into my own sculpture.

I made a few pieces using some 5 axis Gantry CNC milling machines, and a couple of small pieces with a Z Corporation 3D color printer.  I found it unbelievably fascinating technology, and really apropos to the ideas I was working on in the studio.

After a while, and few different projects, I started to develop a concept for an offering in this space.  At this point I had been teaching for about eight years at a few different universities.  The teaching that I was doing, combined with the sculpture work, started to create this seed of an idea in my head: wouldn’t it be cool to come up with a way to essentially allow anybody to be a sculpture or designer using these 3D printers.  The hurdle was that most of the software that allows people to design for 3D printer output is incredibly expensive and/or time consuming to master.  So I realized that coming up with a simple to use system would be the best way get everybody creating and sculpting.

The original idea of MeCube was to have an interactive site, where people would type their email address in.  Each character on the keyboard would be tied to a transformation that would be applied to a virtual 3D object on the site.  Because everyone’s email is unique to them, the object would be transformed into a unique object, a sort of virtual portrait of them.  This portrait of their email and of the corresponding object would then be printed out and sent to them.  In this way, everyone could create a portrait of themselves, not a self-portrait, but a work of art that is uniquely personal and tied to their online identity.

What does MeCube do?

MeCube does a lot of things.  After I spent some time with the original idea of the portrait generating website, I realized that this technology could really be applied to almost anything.  In addition to the purely artistic context of generating customized artwork, I started to tinker with the idea that it could be essentially a tool for designing and manipulating all objects.  The short version of what MeCube does is that it allows everybody to use a simple set of digital tools to design and customize their own stuff, and then through 3D printing, be able to fabricate their own objects and personal goods.  It brings creativity and expression to everybody, without a high cost or skill level barrier to entry.

What have the biggest challenges been?

So far the biggest challenges have been how to approach this business.  As someone who has essentially been working in the arts for nearly 20 years. I am entering a completely new profession and having to learn it trial by fire, from the ground up.  What’s been fantastic has been seeing how many parallels there are between the business of being a sculptor and the business of being a start up entrepreneur.  Both are independent professions, and very much driven by yourself.  I have lots of experience with that from working on art projects and am quite good at being self motivated.

The most challenging part has been learning the specific vernacular of Internet-based software and web-based commerce and business models.  Gathering a good group of advisors around me who are excited about the project has been incredibly essential to making those challenges less so, and has really expedited my entry into a completely new career.  It’s been extremely exciting.

What sets MeCube apart from other offerings on the market?

I think the major difference between MeCube and other offerings that I see on the market is the simplicity of use.  I received my patent based on the idea of an alphanumeric-based, simple to use design tool for manipulating 3D objects and having them fabricated.

What I have done is to connect the transformations (color, shape, size, etc.) that can be applied to any object to input from keyboard.  In other words, alphanumeric control of the modification options for the product that will be presented on the MeCube website.  What is interesting is that I have kind of gone backwards and looked at some of the original coding tools for inspiration, so MeCube almost reminds me of DOS or Logo.    The simplicity is the key to this.  I have seen a few interactive personalized design programs, some of which use voice and some use different sorts of slider bars.  But none of them allow the degree of control that MeCube does over the object on the screen.

I haven’t seen anything that allows the user to have the high level of flexibility in design combined with a learning curve as small as MeCube.  This really puts MeCube in a great position to deliver a very user friendly universal design tool for everybody.

What do you see as the most exciting aspects of MeCube, and the industry in general?

For me the most exciting thing about MeCube is being able to present to people a way of being creative.  More and more in our culture we have actually taken away the ability for the individual to be personally expressive.  The example I like to use is Halloween.  When I was growing up, everyone carved their own pumpkin.  It’s a small thing, but it was a way of being personally creative and expressive; we were all sculptors for a day.  Now you see these rows and rows of plastic pumpkins being sold at big box stores, and less and less you see that individual creativity being expressed for that holiday.  There are a few other holidays that have suffered a similar fate, but none as much as Halloween.  So I’m hoping that what MeCube will do is bring more people back into this creative space.  You can see this trend happing right now, particularly online and especially in the craft movement, through Etsy.com and sites like that.  So it gives me a lot of hope that MeCube can tap into this natural desire and fundamental need that people have to create things.

MeCube is a tool that can be used as a reversal of the tenets that were set out by the Industrial Revolution.  Everyone has heard what Henry Ford said about cars, something like, “I don’t care what color they want their Model A in, as long as its black.”  Ford meant that products rolled off assembly lines, the customer got a very small amount of choice regarding the object that they would purchase and live with, and that your choice as a consumer was to just accept the product that came down the pipe to you.

So what MeCube and the entire 3D printing industry does is to change this dynamic; when you go shopping, you will be able to immediately find the object you have in your head.  Needless to say, there is a lot of value in this.  It means that when a customer comes to your online shop, they already have a sense of what they are looking for, and you will be able to help them create it.  They will be able to browse through the objects you provide, and customize them to fit the image they have in their head.  This means there is creativity and absolute gratification from the shopping experience because they found exactly what they need and wanted.  There are also ergonomic benefits, as well as benefits to self-worth and the empowerment of the consumer, and all these things are incredibly exciting to me.

How do you see products like MeCube playing a role in the education market?

One of the approaches I am taking with MeCube is to partner with a company out of Boston that develops interactive programming for, among many groups, the Department of Education.  One of the fantastic things about MeCube is that it fits very well into the education market because the interface is alphanumeric.

One of the markets that very exciting is the STEM market (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The ability to type, model, construct, and apply equations and coding to objects on a very simple platform is a great fit particularly for grade and middle school students as they are coming up and trying to sink their teeth into different elements of STEM.  I am very excited to be partnering with this company; we are looking to produce a MeCube-based software interface to be used with inexpensive rapid prototypers a group at Stanford is developing.  This bundle will go out to schools around the country to be used in the classroom and get kids exciting about this technology and into the sciences again.

One of the other things that is exciting about MeCube is that we are looking into print technologies which are a bit more eco-friendly than the standard plastic printers. Everyone remembers when people started talking about the paperless office, and how in fact, more paper was being used then ever before.  When people had printers and color flatbed printers in the office, printing went through the roof.  My fear is that when people have the ability create small plastic objects, our landfills will grow exponentially.  So one of the things we are looking at MeCube is recyclable print materials, so if you print it and don’t like it, it goes right back into the machine and is ground up and used again.  We have looked at some print materials that use regenerative plants including some plant fiber technologies that decompose and can be used as compost.  Machines which are low energy usage and very efficient in their production are also very important to us.  One of the great things about rapid prototyping using 3D printing is that it is an additive method; in other words you only use material you need to make that object.  Subtractive methods lead to much more waste because you start out with a block of material, and then carve away to get down to the object you are looking for.  In addition, when you are emailing around files and printing products locally, shipping and trucking drops way down, so you have a very positive result on greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of population.

Where do you see MeCube in five years?  The industry in general?

In five years I see MeCube really leading the industry in this consumer facing B2B model.  One of our main goals is to create a MeCube product that is blot-on application for a wide-range of businesses that allows them to present their products to customers for mass customization and personalization.  Over the next five years what makes this industry so exciting is that the printing technology has been growing at an exponential rate; you are seeing better prints for a lot less money every quarter.  In five years time, I think that many of the holy grails that people have been after will have been solved.  These holy grails are things like multiple material printers, obviously cost reduction, and speeding up the print process.  Really the biggest milestone we will reach will be to dramatically increase the number of people who have a 3D printer at home.  Soon you will have a very small, very efficient 3D printer sitting on your desk.  You will be able to purchase an object and then print it at home.  This sounds sort of like science fiction, but I think it is going to be absolutely fantastic.  You can just imagine how much creativity this will bring into the house.

What keeps you up at night?

Nothing really keeps me up at night.  I have a really positive feeling about this company, although there are obviously a lot of challenges.  We need things to move quickly and to get MeCube out into the market as fast as possible, and above all make a very good product.  Despite the challenges, I’m not overly concerned.  I feel like I have a group of people around me who are just fantastic, and MeCube is a technology that is nascent and absolutely apropos to the times we live in.  I just really feel like the stars are aligning on this one.  I don’t sleep a lot, but I do sleep well.  It is very exciting for me and I look forward to the new challenges that will come down the road in the next quarter.

Special thanks to Janos for sharing his thoughts and time, we’ll be keeping an eye on MeCube as the company develops and evolves.

Sustainable eating and technology

I recently discovered (actually my amazing girlfriend did) a really inspiring web series, The Perennial Plate.  Daniel Klein, a chef, and his intrepid veggitarian girlfriend travel, eat, and meet local food providers and all around interesting people involved in the local and sustainable food movement.

As a former chef and long-time restaurant employee, I love watching the show to see the obscure local food items that Daniel finds, the nutty but always likable people he meets, and the creative and mouth watering meals he prepares.  The focus of the show is on sustainability, meaning how can we ensure that the food we are eating is harvested and prepared in a manner that does not have a negative impact of the environment, and ultimately our own health.  Our relationship with food has become toxic in so many ways, from factory farming methods to rising obesity levels and all the assorted health problems that are part and parcel.

My personal food philosophy has always been to remove as many steps as possible between you and your food.  In short, buy ingredients that have been processed and handled the least amount possible and cook them yourself.  Don’t buy things with long lists of ingredients.  Avoid products that have labels that claim health benefits (they are trying to sell you something).

Now, as a technology-focused writer, I am pondering what role technology has in pushing this movement forward.  A show such as The Perennial Plate is only possible because of the low financial barrier to entry for a self-produced, online web series.  Such a show can be promoted via social media, viewed online, and the clips themselves can be shared and commented on, building a community of viewers.

One of my personal favorite bloggers/thinkers, John Robb, has recently started a new project called Resilient Communities.  While much of his past work and thinking was devoted to security issues and technology, he has recently shifted focus towards promoting the idea of creating sustainable communities.  Robb is looking at the problem from the perspective of the necessity to prepare for large-scale economic and structural collapse of society by building resilience/sustainability into our communities.  He has done an admirable job of showcasing solutions and ideas, including detailed plans and technical information, that are freely available to those who wish to try out any of the ideas.

Robb has a harder, more survivalist edge to his work, but the fact that a thinker that only a few years ago was mainly addressing issues such as terrorism and violent conflict has moved to focusing on calmer topics like urban gardening and organizing communities for sustainability is telling.  The evolution of this line of thinking is not random; for the vast majority of us, the harm that our food system does to our health and the need for localizing critical services and production of key resources is a far more real-life threat than the potential of a terrorist incident.

Moving forward, I’d like to continue to explore these themes.  Mainly, how can technology be used as a force-multiplier to encourage and promote sustainable eating and food production.