This is quoted from http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/25/2733709/hiriko-folding-car-electric-ev-citycar-mit .

Hiriko electric car folds up to take one-third of a parking spot, pilot program to begin next year

By Dante D'Orazio on January 25, 2012

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We've seen urban cars with a single, windshield-mounted door and we've seen a baby stroller that can fold itself, but this is the first time we've seen the two combined. It's called the Hiriko (Basque for "urban"), and a full-sized prototype of the folding electric car was unveiled in front of the European Union Commission chief in Brussels yesterday. The tiny vehicle isn't just a Smart car: it can fold to minimize the amount of space it takes, and three of the vehicles can fit in a typical parking spot once folded.

Making a car that can fold itself isn't as simple as adding some hinges; the Hiriko has a single, upward-swinging windshield instead of doors and each of the Hiriko's four wheels contain a drive motor, steering, braking, and suspension, leaving the inside of the car uncluttered and free to be collapsed. The wheels also give the car a zero-point turning radius (meaning it can spin in place) and enough speed to drive safely on city streets. It's said that the Hiriko will have a 100 kilometer (about 60 mile) range, and it's target price for individuals is €12,500 (about $16,355).
The Hiriko is the commercial version of MIT Media Lab's CityCar, and the model demonstrated in Brussels represents the first full-sized prototype. Although it's possible that the vehicle will be sold to individuals, it's planned for shared-use projects like the bicycle sharing programs that are popular in many European cities. If you can't wait to see the Hiriko in person, you're probably going to have to head to Vitoria Gasteiz near Bilbao, Spain, where a 20-unit pilot program is scheduled to start up next year. If you can't make it there, you'll be glad to hear that San Francisco, Berlin, Barcelona, Malmö, and Hong Kong have shown interest in the program as well.
Check out a full gallery of photos at the National Post of the Hiriko prototype's unveil, and see below for an MIT clip on the CityCar and a Spanish video from the event in Brussels.

This is quoted from http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/16/view/23175/worlds-first-folding-electric-car-by-hiriko-motors.html .

world's first folding electric car by hiriko motors 

world's first folding electric car by hiriko motors

developed as an innovative solution for means of alternative transportation, the hiriko folding electric vehicle provides new
meaning to urban mobility. the concept automoblile bridges the relationship between the city and its inhabitants by accommodating
easy and accessible driving solutions within a busy metropolitan area.

in a collaboration between MIT's changing places, denokinn basque center for innovation and afypaida, the design caters to an
environment that promotes more social, sustainable and smarter cities. the small commuter car integrates a 20 horsepower electric motor,
controlled by a drive-by-wire system, where it achieves a range of 120 km (75 miles) with a top speed of 50 km/h (31 mph).
each wheel contains a separate drive motor, steering, braking, and suspension system, allowing its body to
collapse into two separate units for tight parking spaces.

see designboom's original coverage during the prototyping stages of the model  here.

front view of the hiriko folding electric car



rear view of the hiriko folding electric car



the hiriko electric car collapsing


3/4 rear view of the hiriko folding electric car before collapsing



scale and proporting

 

Sunset of my hometown video 3, 私の故鄕の夕陽 映像 3

Sunset of my hometown video 3,  私の故鄕の夕陽 映像 3

I made it myself. 私が自分で作りました.

My Youtube channel, 私のユーチューブ チャンネル http://www.youtube.com/user/jus1170

This is quoted from http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9232781/Intel_readies_for_programmable_smart_cars .

Intel readies for programmable smart cars

Building multi-core chips that could runs apps that drive cars, find parking garages and complain about potholes

By Sharon Gaudin

October 23, 2012

Computerworld - BARCELONA -- Intel researchers envision a future of driverless smart cars that can be updated at any time with the latest technology and apps.

Intel hopes to play a major role in the new age, creating small, energy-efficient multi-core chips that can make cars more intelligent.
"In the next generation, we are talking about quad-core," said Michael Konow, an Intel engineering manager based in Germany.

Enno Luebbers, a research scientist at Intel Labs Europe, shows an Intel-based smart car system. Running a low-power processor similar to Intel's Atom chip, the system is running car- and driving-related apps, such as a navigation system, along with an Android-based entertainment system that has games and movies. (Photo by Sharon Gaudin/Computerworld)

"We are looking far ahead to safe driving cars," he said. "We would need a lot of compute power for a car to understand that if there's a ball rolling on the street, there might be a kid running after it. This is very, very difficult. As humans, we have intuition. We need to find a way to get this intelligence into the system."

Konow, who presented a smart car demo at Intel's European Research and Innovation Conference here today, told Computerworld that the auto industry is several years away from having many-core chips in cars, but that lab work on the technology is well underway.
"A car that drives autonomously and has a 100% guarantee that an accident won't happen would require a lot more compute performance," he said. "How much? We don't really know yet."
Today's cars, said Konow and Enno Luebbers, a research scientist at Intel Labs Europe, are getting overloaded with single-core chips. That's a problem, because eventually there won't be enough room for the additional chips that would be necessary to accommodate the ever-growing user demand for new functionality.
Adding a new function requires adding a new chip, said Konow. That means "you [might need] more than a 100 single cores in one high-end car," he said. "You cannot keep up this trend."
With so many single-core chips stuffed into one vehicle, onboard computer systems are becoming too large and complicated, he said.
The goal now is to save power and space, "which is critical because there is basically no space left," added Konow. "[Researchers] are trying to come up with weird shapes of boxes to squeeze them into the tiny amount of space left."
When automakers are able to integrate multi-core chips -- from quad-core to 8-core, 12-core and beyond -- into vehicles, they'll be able to add a lot more functionality, such as updated navigation options, more safety features and social applications.
Today, you have to buy a new car if you want the latest automotive apps. In the future, automakers will offer programmable cars, and users will be able to simply download new apps or upgrades if they want state-of-the-art systems, say Intel execs.
"It's almost like 'What applications wouldn't you want in your car?'" said Intel CTO Justin Rattner. "Once the car is a programmable platform, you'll see all kinds of innovation."
Rattner noted that the smarter cars could work together to make commutes easier.
For instance, cars could have sensors, cameras and computer chips programmed to report potholes to road maintenance crews, and to report traffic jams or accidents to other cars in the area.
In-car apps also could tell drivers which local parking garage has spaces available, or if any of their friends are driving nearby.
"We'll start thinking of our cars more like we think of our laptops and phones -- updateable," said Luebbers.
"For me, it's about synthesis," said Martin Curley, director of Intel Labs Europe. "We're thinking about how these can be integrated into a system of systems that helps us achieve a sustainable society."
Luebbers said a key challenge for engineers working on smarter cars is to ensure safety and security. It's one thing for an entertainment system to be breached; it's another for hackers to access a rearview monitoring system, for instance.
"One of the main challenges is integrating functions of different criticality," he said. "You have to treat the testing and development differently."
A higher level of security will be necessary when we start driving connected cars.
"Over the last 20 or 30 years, [onboard car computers] weren't built with security in mind. It was not required," said Konow. "[Automakers] were looking to save costs. They did not need to design it to be secure."
Widespread connectivity, though, presents the potential for significant problems, he said. "[Automakers] don't want to re-engineer a whole system, but have to find a way to protect systems from external attacks."
Luebbers also noted that car makers have traditionally focused on making sure vehicles did not fail by accident. Now they have to focus on making sure they do not fail because of a digital attack.
That, he said, forces OEMs to think about security in a new way.
Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at @sgaudin, or subscribe to Sharon's RSS feed . Her email address is sgaudin@computerworld.com.

This is quoted from http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2009-08/3-d-printing-now-stainless-steel .

3-D Printing, Now in Stainless Steel

Have your designs fabricated in metal, quickly and cheaply, from the comfort of your computer

By Molika Ashford

Stainless Steel Moebius Strip courtesy Shapeways

You can stop pounding on that anvil now; steel fabrication has moved onto the web. Shapeways, a company that made its name offering custom 3-D printing in plastic and resin, will now print your designs in stainless steel. All you have to do is upload your brilliant CAD design (or pick from a range of stock items). Shapeways will print it out in cold, shiny steel, and mail it to you.
As with any 3-D printing, the object is built up in layers. In this case, powdered steel is laid down, alternating with a binding material, in thin layers until the whole piece appears. Then your finished model is heated, cured and, according to Shapeways, "infused with bronze."




Steel printing from Shapeways is limited to models that pass specific size and detail guidelines. The printing leaves some lines and visible layers in the object, they say, so be prepared: your finished piece probably won't look as smooth and perfect as other bits of metal you own. Shapeways' cost chart quotes $10 per square centimeter for steel printing, which could add up to a hefty price for larger items. That said, being able to make your own metal objects without big equipment or the threat of horrible burns is pretty cool at any price.
[Shapeways via Crunchgear]

My Autumn Foliage video 2, 私の秋の紅葉 映像 2

My Autumn Foliage video 2, 私の秋の紅葉 映像 2

I made it myself. 私が自分で作りました.

My Youtube channel, 私のユーチューブ チャンネル http://www.youtube.com/user/jus1170

Sunset of my hometown video 2, 私の故鄕の夕陽 映像 2

Sunset of my hometown video 2,  私の故鄕の夕陽 映像 2

I made it myself. 私が自分で作りました.

My Youtube channel, 私のユーチューブ チャンネル http://www.youtube.com/user/jus1170

This is quoted from http://www.3dprinter.net/3d-printing-ceramics-at-sculpteo .

3D Printing Ceramics in 8 Vivid Colors at Sculpteo

by mark on June 11, 2012

Have you always wanted to try your hand at some simple ceramics, but didn’t want to buy a pottery wheel? And you didn’t want to go share a station with 20 screaming kids at the local pottery workshop? Now you can create beautiful, perfectly crafted ceramic pieces — without even getting your hands dirty.

3D printing service Sculpteo has launched 3D printing in ceramic in eight beautiful colors. All the colors are vivid, and your objects will come out smooth and shiny. And unlike the uneven results you’ll get spinning a pottery wheel for the first time, you can make perfectly symmetrical (if that’s what you want) items, or perhaps pieces an amateur pottery hobbyist could not even create traditionally. Regardless of what you want to create, it will come out exactly as you designed it in your 3D modeling program. For those of us who are not very good with our hands, artistically, yet can create a mean model on a computer, this is great news — we’ve got one more way to create something tangible, something we can hold in our hands, show to our friends, place on the living room table.
And like traditional ceramic, it is heat and water resistant. That means that you will be able to make all the traditional items that people love to make with ceramics: vases, mugs, dinner plates, ashtrays…does anyone make ashtrays anymore?
For those of you already doing some 3D printing with materials such as ABS, know that you won’t be able to render some very small details you are used to with ceramics. So make simple, not complex pieces. The minimum thickness is 3mm (0.118 inch) for an overall size under 200mm (7.8 inch) and it’s 4mm (0.15 inch) if the object is under 300mm (11.8 inch). Maximum size (X + Y + Z) is 400 mm.
8 colors are available:

• White Glossy
• Oyster Blue
• Tangerine Orange
• Turquoise
• Aquarius Blue
• Satin Black
• Anis Green
• Lemon Yellow

3D printing continues to bring us more ways to make things, without getting our hands dirty.

This is quoted from http://www.3dprinter.net/how-3d-print-bicycle .

How to 3D print your own carbon fiber bicycle

by mark on June 18, 2012

---

I know, I know, the title and lead photo of this article makes it sound like you can 3D print your own bicycle — frame, chains, wheels, tires and all. Sorry, you can’t even 3D print just frame. Well, people have, but not in a practical manner. What we have here is someone using 3D printing to create just the crucial parts of his bike frame, enough to be able to customize its size and shape, and then piecing it all together with some traditional methodology. It’s a small step, but that’s how all new technologies begin.
The DIY bikemaker is Andrew Leinonen, and he set out to make a bike frame without the associated cost of fabricating a jig and other expensive steps. Here’s the goal he set for himself:

I wanted to design a process for building bicycles that allowed an enthusiast to spend less overhead, less time on finicky details, and put the emphasis on actually designing and making a bike that you want to ride…The process that I came up with takes advantage of the growing availability and affordability of CAD and 3D printing to allow people to build themselves a unique custom bicycle with unparalleled design flexibility.

So where does 3D printing come in? He used a 3D printer to print socket-style lugs that will be used to join together commodity tubestock, like so:

The joints are reinforced with carbon fiber and epoxy:

Once the tubing is cut to the proper lengths, all the pieces are snapped together. Yup, it’s that easy.
Easy? Yeah, right. I’m kidding. You need to go to the Instructables page where he documented all the steps. It’s insanely cool. There are dozens and dozens of photos and very detailed instructions. Even if you are not going to be making a bike yourself, it’s worth the time just scrolling down his page to get a quick idea of what he’s accomplished.

World first as entire working bicycle is made using 3D printer

This is quoted from http://forums.canadiancontent.net/science-environment/99102-world-first-entire-working-bicycle.html .

World first as entire working bicycle is made using 3D printer
Mar 20th, 2011

A bicycle is the first in the world to be made by printing it out on a computer.

The Airbike is made of nylon, is as strong as steel and aluminium but weighs 65 per cent less.

The bike is the creation of British scientists at the European Aeronautic Defence and Space group (EADS) in Filton, near Bristol who designed the bike on a computer and sent it to a printer, which placed layers of melted nylon powder on top of each other to build-up the machine.

Individual components such as gears, pedals and wheels are usually manufactured elsewhere in different factories. However, the Airbike is a single, complete part.

Robin Southwell, chief executive of EADS UK, said: 'The Airbike is a fantastic example of British innovation at its very best."

Go on, print me a bike! The technology that enables a computer to run off a full-working cycle

By Daily Mail Reporter
20th March 2011
Daily Mail

This bicycle is the first in the world to be created simply by printing it out on a computer, using groundbreaking new technology.

The fully-working cycle, which is made of nylon, is the result of an extraordinary project and is as strong as steel and aluminium but weighs 65 per cent less.

Scientists in Bristol designed the bike on a computer and sent it to a printer, which placed layers of melted nylon powder on top of each other to build-up the machine.


Let's ride: The fully-working cycle, which is made of nylon, is the result of an extraordinary project and is as strong as steel and aluminium but weighs 65 per cent less


On the move: Scientists designed the bike on a computer and sent it to a printer, which placed layers of melted nylon powder on top of each other to build-up the machine

Individual components such as gears, pedals and wheels are usually made in different factories and assembled into a finished bike but the Airbike is a single, complete part.

The wheels, bearings and axle are incorporated into the 'growing' process, known as Additive Layer Manufacturing.

The Airbike can be built to the rider's own specification so requires no adjustment. It also requires no conventional maintenance or assembly.

It is made by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space group in Filton, near Bristol, The 3D printing method allows products to be made from a fine powder of nylon, carbon-reinforced plastics or metals such as titanium, stainless steel or aluminium.

They are drawn using computer-aided design and then sent to a printer, which is filled with the powdered material.

A computer splits the 3D design into many 2D layers and a laser beam is used to melt the powder material into the first of the layers.

This is then covered by a new layer of powder and the process is repeated with the next 'slice'.

The manufacturing process uses about one-tenth of the material required in traditional methods, reducing waste.

The technology is likely to be used in industrial applications such as aerospace, the motor industry and engineering.

Lead engineer Andy Hawkins said: 'The possibilities with ALM are huge - it's a game-changing technology.

'The beauty is that complex designs do not cost any extra to produce. The laser can draw any shape you like.

'Many unique design features have been incorporated into the Airbike, such as saddle cushioning or the integrated bearings encased within the hubs.'

Robin Southwell, chief executive of EADS UK, said: 'The Airbike is a fantastic example of British innovation at its very best.

'The team at EADS in Bristol includes world-class engineers who continue to push boundaries by working at the forefront of technology.'

dailymail.co.uk

This is quoted from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2117570/Amazing-3D-printer-action-Watch-working-wrench-printed-powder.html .

Amazing 3D printer in action: Watch a working wrench being made from powder

By Ted Thornhill
PUBLISHED: 20 March 2012

We’re going to need a lot of tools as we expand into space – to build and maintain space stations and craft.
However, the problem of how to replace tools should they break has always been a worry. After all, it’s quite an undertaking to fly them into orbit.
But now scientists believe astronauts will be able to build unlimited replacements – simply by printing them.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Hi-tech: The Z Corporation's 3D printer can make just about anything

Image is everything: The wrench is scanned into a computer

It sounds like science fiction, but a YouTube video made by National Geographic shows that the remarkable process is actually science fact.

Theoretical physicist David Kaplan, from Johns Hopkins University, visits a company called Z Corporation in Burlington, Massachusetts, which specialises in 3D printers that can make almost anything – even with moving parts.
In the amazing film a huge adjustable wrench is first of all scanned into a computer, down to the accuracy of 40 microns – slightly less than the width of a human hair.

Remarkable: The finished wrench is pulled out of the powder tray

Robust: It's even strong enough to undo a nut

The image is then sent to a printer that doesn’t use ink, but a ‘specially engineered composite material’ that starts out as a powder and is then bound together with a type of resin.
This is what the printed wrench is made from.
Within 90 minutes Dr Kaplan is shown a fully working, robust copy of the original wrench that even features the adjustable head.
He said: ‘So going into space, you just take a printer and you can print whatever you want.’

This is quoted from http://www.technewsdaily.com/6305-3d-printers-computers-homes.html .

Will 3D Printers Conquer the Consumer Market?

Jesse Emspak, TechNewsDaily Contributor

02 October 2012

The Ultimaker churns out a tiny, yellow robot figurine. View full size image

The 3D printer seems to have gone mainstream, at least for the do-it-yourself movement that populates the Maker Faire. But it remains to be seen if some "killer app" will make these printers a must-have item for consumers.
This year's Maker Faire devoted an entire tent to perhaps a dozen brands of 3D printer, many of them for sale at the faire or for later delivery. While all share the same basic functionality — they build a shape in plastic, layer by layer — they each present slight design variations.
Their proponents are enthusiastic about the printers’ potential. "It's like a new industrial revolution," said Siert Wijnia, a founder of Netherlands-based Ultimaker. "[3D printers] are where the microcomputer was 30 years ago."
To an extent that's true: in the early 1980s, it was just starting to become commonplace to have a computer in the home, and prices for top-end Apple or IBM-type machines were in the $1,000-$1,500 range, or about $2,200-$3,000 in current dollars. The 3D printers are, if anything, cheaper. Ultimaker sells its version for about $1,600. The software is open-source, and it works with most computer-aided design packages, including some available free on the Web.

Early computers, by contrast, weren't open source. So there are two questions: what is the "killer app" that gets everyone printing stuff out, and how do the various entrants compete in a market with few barriers to entry? Makerbot, the grand old man of the 3D-printer universe, has moved to proprietary software and design — perhaps an acknowledgement that it's hard to keep innovating to stay ahead of the competition with no intellectual property. [Why a DIY Pioneer Dislikes 3D Printing]

An early model 3D printer from SeeMeCNC.com

View full size image

In the meantime, the designs keep coming. The Rostock Max, for instance, gets away from the box shape typical of most 3D printers. Built by PartDaddy, an engineering company that makes machine parts in Goshen, Ind., it uses a three-armed system to move the printer head along both the horizontal and vertical axes.
The software is also different from that of other 3D printers, says Steve Wygant, CEO of PartDaddy. He is seeking $10,000 by Nov. 24 for the Rostock Max under his SeeMeCNC brand name on the crowd-funding website Indigogo. A fully assembled Rostock should sell for about $1,500, while a kit to build your own goes for about $850. Unlike most other 3D printers, the Rostock can be re-purposed as a "pick and place" circuit-board assembler, because the arms are not restricted to horizontal movement.
Wygant's background is in engineering, but it's notable how many people getting into the business come from design backgrounds. The open-source technology has become simple enough that designing and building a 3D printer isn't just the province of hard-core engineers anymore. Vancouver-based Justin Sy, for one, studied design at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. Tinkerine, which Sy founded with friend Andy Yang, has already produced a couple of models of its 3D printer, the Ditto. The acrylic version showcases an aesthetic sense as much as solid engineering.
John Cabrer, of Tjiko, noted that the patents on most 3D printer designs have run out, which is why so many people can build them. He came up with a kit that doesn't require screws, so it can be slotted together like some IKEA furniture. "I have been doing a lot of improvements in my career," he said, referring to his background in software engineering. He added that removing the need for tools improves 3D printers by simplifying them.
So with all this enthusiasm, what are the limits? For one thing, few 3D printers print in more than one color at a time. Some can be equipped with multiple "extruders" (the part that puts the plastic down). But generally, they only come with one, so that if you want multicolored parts, they have to be assembled outside the printer. The machines also suffer from some limits on resolution, or the thickness of the layers of plastic. Generally, that is about 200 microns, or 0.2 millimeters, which is not a lot, but enough to give the pieces a rough "feel" that must be sanded down.
Then, there is the choice of plastic. Most 3D-printer makers have chosen to “go green," using a biodegradable compound called PLA, or polylactic acid. Others use a material called ABS, famous as the material used in Lego bricks. But don't expect your bricks to look, feel or work the same. The Lego company notoriously makes theirs with very tight tolerances, far smaller than a homebrew machine can achieve. The printers don’t work in metal, either, which is still the province of industrial equipment.

The acrylic model of the Ditto from Tinkerine, flaked by its wood-framed cousin

View full size image

That said, these machines can do a lot. One trick is making ball bearings, which the machines can build as single pieces. The printer creates the ring around the bearings (with a thin piece of connecting plastic that can be snapped off). The bearings aren't aircraft-quality, but for a lot of applications, they are likely good enough.
But while the thought of making one's own toys or craft projects is exciting to some, it isn't clear that a mass market for these printers will emerge the same way that it did for desktop publishing.
Cabrer said most of his sales, for example, have been to universities and schools. It's also worth noting that desktop publishing's biggest impact may have come in saving existing print publications a lot of money, because the technology eliminated the paste-up room and made it possible for smaller operations to work with big printing houses. 3D printing is certainly a big money-saver for any company doing prototyping, but the justification for its use in the home isn't quite clear yet.
That doesn't dampen some customers’ enthusiasm, though. At the Makerbot booth, where the latest models were being showcased, several people approached and asked about buying one, and at least one sought assurance that no new releases would appear before his was shipped. And at Ultimaker's stand, a common question was, "Can we take one home?"

This is quoted from http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21628875.100-us-military-gets-into-the-3d-printing-business.html .

US military gets into the 3D printing business

• 18 October 2012 by Sara Reardon 

Make me a new wheel if I explode (Image: Richard Nowitz/NGS)

AN ISOLATED military outpost in the middle of hostile territory is a bad place for your equipment to break down. Replacement parts and fuel either have to be air-dropped or driven through dangerous territory. So the US military plans to make remote operating bases and camps self-sufficient, able to generate their own energy and even print their own gadgets.

Advances in radio, GPS and surveillance equipment have changed how the US military deploys its troops, says Bob Charette of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office. Instead of being bunched in large groups that slowly march across enemy territory, soldiers are now strategically scattered in independent camps that span an entire war zone. These can range from operating bases with a few hundred soldiers to lookout posts of less than a dozen.

Such isolated bases are "the tip of the spear", says Pete Newell, who heads the US army's Rapid Equipping Force (REF). But they often have difficulty getting equipment. It can take months to receive parts that need to be shipped from the US.

To speed up the process, REF has put together three mobile laboratories in 6-metre-long shipping containers. Each lab comes with tools such as plasma cutters and jigsaws, a 3D printer that prints in plastic or metal and a scientist and engineer to run them. The labs, which cost about $2.8 million, can be picked up by helicopter and set down just about anywhere.

The first lab was shipped to Afghanistan in July, and a second will be deployed next month. So far, they have allowed soldiers to fix technical problems on the spot, Newell says. "Every 10th guy has a great idea." For instance, the 54 °C heat in Afghanistan was playing havoc with the batteries in a ground-penetrating radar system used to search for mines, so soldiers used the 3D printer to make a shielding case to protect them. It worked so well that everyone wanted one, Newell says, so the team emailed the design back to the US, where it could be mass-produced and distributed among other combat units.

Soldiers have also used the labs to design hooks for defusing explosive devices, and parts to repair robots. Printing weapons is not on the agenda, Newell says, although fixing them might be. He also envisions printing more complex objects, like batteries and solar panels, which has been shown to be technically feasible (Advanced Materials, doi.org/cm4r85).

Sherry Lassiter at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's FabLab says that the labs could be helpful for rebuilding an area after a natural disaster as necessities such as drug delivery devices or antennas for Wi-Fi communication could be prototyped and printed quickly and easily. But she and Nadya Peek, also of FabLab, worry that for long-term disaster relief missions that can stretch to months or even years, resupplying the raw materials needed to run the labs might prove costly. "The military tends to do things very expensively," says Peek.

From the military's point of view, however, the price of the labs is outweighed by the ability to give combat units an extra degree of self-sufficiency while lowering the number of risky resupply missions that must be carried out.

"We can't be competing against the fragile [fuel and water] infrastructure that's often the root cause of the conflict in the first place," says Newell. "We're trying to get those unit locations completely off the grid."

Soldiers stay powered on the go

Soldiers now carry 4900 per cent more weight in the form of batteries than they did during the Vietnam war, says Bob Charette of the US Marines. So the Corps is testing gadgets to decrease the amount of power radios and GPS need, or draw it from another source. The Lightning Pack backpack, for example, bounces as its wearer walks and can convert that kinetic energy into 40 watts of power - enough to power a radio.
Naval Sea Systems Command, meanwhile, has created backpacks with solar panels attached for the same purpose. The panels charge bulletproof batteries, and a soldier can stay powered up for four days. The Marines will be testing these systems in Australia next year.

This is quoted from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2023469/Aeroplane-created-using-3D-printer-world-Scientists-create-aircraft-100mph-max-speed.html .

Aeroplane created using a 3D printer in world first: Scientists build aircraft with 100mph max speed

By Daily Mail Reporter
UPDATED: 07:34 GMT, 8 August 2011

This plane is the first in the world to be created using the groundbreaking new technology of  '3D printing'.
The aircraft was built using only a computer - but it can get up to a speed of 100mph and has a two-metre wingspan.
It was produced using a special nylon laser printer that builds up an item layer-by-layer.

Ground-breaking: The plane was produced by a 3D printer - but can still go up to 100mph

The parts were made separately and attached using a 'snap fit' technique so the aircraft could be put together without tools in minutes.
No fasteners at all were used in the manufacture of the plane.

 

The breakthrough by the team of engineers from the University of Southampton's Computational Engineering and Design Research group could revolutionise aircraft manufacture.
Unmanned and electrically powered, the plane can cruise in near silence and is also equipped with a miniature autopilot system.

Assembly: The plane's components snap together so that no other fasteners are needed

The special production process used by the team is known as 'laser sintering' and allows the designer to create shapes and structures that would normally involve costly manufacturing techniques.
This technology allows a highly-tailored aircraft to be developed from concept to first flight in days, whereas using conventional materials and techniques would take months.
And because no tooling is required for manufacture, radical changes to the shape and scale of the aircraft can be made with no extra cost.
Professor Jim Scanlon, who led the team with Professor Andy Keane, said: 'The process allows the design team to revisit historical techniques and ideas that would have been prohibitively expensive using conventional manufacturing.'

Lift-off: The plane contains an autopilot system so that it can fly itself

He said one such structure studied by the team was initially developed by Barnes Wallis and famously used on the Vickers Wellington bomber which first flew in 1936.
He added: 'This form of structure is very stiff and lightweight, but very complex. If it was manufactured conventionally it would require a large number of individually tailored parts that would have to be bonded or fastened at great expense.'
The new printed plane is known as the Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft - or SULSA for short - and is part of a wider project using cutting-edge manufacturing techniques.
The University of Southampton has been at the forefront of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle development since the early 1990s.
Unmanned aircraft are currently used primarily by the military, but they are expected to come into increasing use in scientific research.

This is quoted from http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/3d-printed-aircraft-successfully-takes-flight-20121023/ .

3D-printed aircraft successfully takes flight

Oct. 23, 2012 By: Mark Raby

Who needs hundreds of millions of dollars in manufacturing facilities when you can create an airplane with a 3D printer? Researchers have managed to create a flying vehicle that can rise to the sky on its own using 3D printing technology.
Alright, this wasn’t exactly a Boeing 747.  In fact the craft was a small contraption with a 6.5-foot wingspan created by students at the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. It survived four tests flights in August and September, at a local airfield in central Virginia, and managed to reach a top cruising speed of 45 miles per hour.
One student was chosen to work at the Mitre Corporation based on a YouTube video he posted of a 3D-printed turbofan engine. Mechanical engineering major Steven Easter was successfully able to then turn that experience into a fully working aircraft.

So it’s cool, but what does this mean? Anything? This is actually the third time that a flying device has been created from 3D-printed materials so it isn’t nothing remarkably new, but knowing that a team headlined by an undergraduate engineering student can achieve this accomplishment in a summer internship goes to show just how accessible and how powerful the technology has become.
There is no shortage of exciting 3D printing projects in the works, from increasingly affordable consumer 3D printers to ambitious over-the-top ideas like 3D-printed houses. It’s a far cry to say someone might fly in a 3D-printed plane anytime soon, but the fact that the mere concept isn’t just a thing for sci-fi movies is itself pretty incredible.
via University of Virginia

This is quoted from http://techland.time.com/2012/04/09/the-delicious-future-3d-chocolate-printer-finally-available-for-purchase/ .

The Delicious Future: 3D Chocolate Printer Finally Available for Purchase

By Doug AamothApril 09, 2012

Choc Edge

As the world shifts to an increasingly paperless existence, the lowly computer printer catches fleeting glimpses of its glory days in the rear-view mirror.
“Text me the directions; I’ll pull them up on my phone,” says John Everyman. “Text” used to have a much more significant meaning during the heady times of bubblejets, inkjets, laserjets and the like. Now the word has lost its tangibility. But thanks to recent advances, there’s chocolate to be printed — yes, printers are about to enjoy a delicious renaissance.

Here’s what’s not new and what’s new: What’s not new is the concept of 3D printing – printing three-dimensional objects layer by layer. See this video with our friend Bre Pettis, who’s done a lot to advance the era of 3D printing along. Typical 3D printers are often used to create plastic-like items infused with varying amounts of utility – they’re even being used to bootleg and pirate objects. What’s the so-called “next big thing” in technology? Put 3D printing on the shortlist.
Also not new is the concept of this 3D chocolate printer. We wrote about it last year, and even linked to “edible chocolate structures” created as far back as 2007. If you can print plastic-like 3D objects, why not print 3D food objects? The technology isn’t quite advanced enough to easily create things from complex materials, but it can be used with simple foodstuffs like chocolate.
What is new is that this whimsical 3D chocolate printer from the masterminds at Choc Edge has finally become available to the masses. The Choc Creator Version 1, as it’s called, isn’t exactly cheap – 3D printing in general is still a bit on the expensive side – but can pre-order a unit for £2,488 (about $3,500) if you’re one of the first 90 people to do so.
After that, the price goes up to £2,888 (about $4,600). But – BUT! – if you pre-order, you only have to put 30% down now and then pay the rest when it ships. It’ll pay for itself when you become the only freelance 3D chocolate printer in the neighborhood. “There goes the Chocolate King!” the neighbors will yell. “Wave to the Chocolate King, kids!” Has a nice ring to it, huh?

As for the internals, the machine uses a stepper motor to three-dimensionally print layer upon layer of chocolate, which is extracted out of a refillable syringe.
According to the product page:

Choc Creator utilizes an easy-to-use syringe based chocolate deposition head which allows users to rapidly install and remove syringe head units. The design enables users to refill syringes with fresh chocolate or different chocolates conveniently.

What’s more, when you’ve conquered the world of neighborhood freelance chocolate printing and decide it’s time to move on to different projects, take solace that “Users can use any other materials in their printer for as long as the material can flow out of the printing head.” The machine uses standard 3D design files transferred to it via a USB cable from your computer.
We’re getting ahead of ourselves here, though. For now, you’ve got chocolate to print. And eat. And reprint. And eat. Here’s a video of the printer in action:

This is quoted from http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/16/view/12675/3d-food-printer.html .

3D food printer

the 3D food printer, part of the fab@home series by cornell university's computational synthesis lab


with a three-dimensional food printer, the future of food
is just a mouseclick away.

not the only device of its kind, but arguably the most advanced,
the 3D food printer is designed and being further developed in america
by cornell university's computational synthesis laboratory,
headed by dr. jeffrey ian lipton. the team's fab@home technology,
designed as a collection of open-source rapid prototyping systems,
allows three-dimensional objects to be 'printed' by a syringe,
whose movements are determined from computer blueprints and models.
layering lines of material ultimately generates a three-dimensional object
in a process they call 'solid freeform fabrication.'



detail view of a piece of chocolate created with the machine


although they are in no way limited to food,
fab@home machines have already been used
to print chocolates, cookies, and even domes of turkey meat.
while previous models have typically used only one syringe,
the cornell team is now working with them in multiple,
to permit the combination of diverse ingredients in precise proportions.

currently, only liquids and gels can be used as cartridges,
and the researchers have already experimented
with cheese, cake batter, chocolate, and dough.
promisingly, current research that involves mixing raw foods
with hydrocolloids, creating a gel,
may soon expand the repertoire of foods that can be used in the machine.



examples of the device in use, printing chocolate and frosting shapes


on a broad scale, the device would not only
increase the ease and availability of healthful food
to individuals who are unable or unwilling to cook for themselves,
but also produce a number of ecologically beneficial effects,
as it decreases the number of intermediaries involved
between food production and ultimate consumption.
some researchers wonder if one day,
3D printers would even permit the 'growing' of near-raw foodstuffs.



3D printing offers greater detail and more uniformity across multiple copies of objects than does shaping food by hand


moving forward, lipton foresees the greatest difficulty to be
allowing consumers at home to create their own custom food inks,
because different materials will each behave differently.

nonetheless, he imagines 'chefCAD' software
that will allow people to design and print
their own food constructions, share recipes (fabApps),
and easily modify blueprints to reflect personal tastes.



frosting model being used as a cast to make a silicon ball


already, the use of 3D printing on frosting
can be used to create easily degradable molds and casts.
if it becomes difficult to release the object,
the cast can be quickly dissolved in water or broken.
because one of the major benefits of 3D printing
is its consistency and repeatability,
it is simple to create identical new molds.



early collaborations with the french culinary institute in generating food inks



this diagram illustrates some of the variables that must be adjusted in printing chocolate,
suggesting some of the ways in which recipes can be customized pending further developments of the printer

This is quoted from http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/24/technology/3D_food_printer/index.htm .

This 3D printer makes edible food

An experimental 3D food printer "prints" frosting on a cupcake.

By Laurie Segall, staff reporterJanuary 24, 2011

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- A 3D food printer sounds like something out of Star Trek, but it's not out of this world. It's up and running at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan -- and in five years, it could be in your home.
As part of a project at Cornell University, a group of scientists and students built a 3D printer and began testing it out with food. The device attaches to a computer, which works as the "brain" behind the technology.

It doesn't look like a traditional printer; it's more like an industrial fabrication machine. Users load up the printer's syringes with raw food -- anything with a liquid consistency, like soft chocolate, will work. The ingredient-filled syringes will then "print" icing on a cupcake. Or it'll print something more novel (i.e., terrifying) -- like domes of turkey on a cutting board.
"You hand [the computer] three bits of info: a shape that you want, a description of how that shape can be made, and a description of how that material that you want to print with works," says Jeff Lipton, a Cornell grad student working on the project. Lipton is pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering.
The project came out of Cornell's Fab@Home venture, headed up by associate professor Hod Lipson. Started in 2005, the project aims to create do-it-yourself versions of machines that can manufacture custom objects on-demand. The group started experimenting with food fabrication in 2007.
Lipton thinks food printing will be "the killer app" of 3D printing. Just like video games fueled demand for personal computers 30 years ago, he thinks the lure of feeding Grandma's cookie recipe into a printer will help personal fabricators expand beyond the geek crowd.
"It's really going to be the next phase of the digital revolution," he says.




David Arnold, director of culinary technology at the French Culinary Institute, has been testing out the technology since October 2009. He loves the experimentation it makes possible.
"One of the main things I hope this machine will let us do is create new textures that we couldn't get otherwise," he says. "This is the first time I've really seen this happen."
That could draw in chefs and restaurateurs. But Arnold also thinks a 3D food printer will have mass appeal.
"This would be a slam dunk for cookies at holiday time," he says. "Anything that requires a high level of precision that people don't usually have with their hands, in terms of making icing or decorations, this thing can perform amazingly well."
Because it's an academic project, the 3D food printer isn't commercially available -- yet. The Fab@Home project has the blueprints for free online, and dedicated hobbyists can use them to build their own. One retailer, nextfabstore.com, offers an assembled version for sale -- starting at a mere $3,300.
Entrepreneur Jamil Yosefzai plans to be on the forefront of commercializing the technology. His New York City-based startup, Essential Dynamics, is working on a version that can be sold to the first wave potential customers: pastry chefs and tech early adopters.
Yosefzai thinks his version of the printer will kinetically retail for around $1,000, but he expects that price tag to eventually fall to $700 or so. And he predicts that the technology could become a household staple within a decade.
"It comes down to comfort level, and that will expand as the [technology] goes more and more into schools and everywhere else," he says. "Sort of like computers -- the kids picked it up first, then the parents picked it up, and once everybody has an acclimation to it, they'll be printing left and right."  

My Autumn Foliage video, 私の秋の紅葉 映像

My Autumn Foliage video, 私の秋の紅葉 映像

I made it myself. 私が自分で作りました.

My Youtube channel, 私のユーチューブ チャンネル http://www.youtube.com/user/jus1170

Cosmo Wenman’s Mind-Blowing Sculpture Made On A MakerBot

This is quoted from http://www.makerbot.com/blog/2012/10/20/cosmo-wenmans-mind-blowing-sculpture-made-on-a-makerbot/ .

Cosmo Wenman’s Mind-Blowing Sculpture Made On A MakerBot

Posted by Andrew on Saturday, October 20, 2012 

MYTH: MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers can only make things up to a certain size. BUSTED

MYTH: MakerBot PLA Filament is harder to finish than ABS filament. BUSTED

MYTH: The quality of pieces made on a MakerBot are great, but they’re not, like, museum-quality great. BUSTED

Cosmo Wenman is a (slightly elusive) artist in California who has just reminded us not to limit our imaginations when it comes to what can be made. The horse head and human bust you see above were made entirely of MakerBot PLA Filament (White) on the original MakerBot Replicator. We believe so strongly in the potential of the renewable bioplastic PLA that we optimized the new MakerBot Replicator 2 for that material.
These pieces were in-house at MakerBot HQ for a couple days before they were swept off to London to be displayed in our booth at the 3D Printshow, and the reactions by staff ranged from “whoa,” to “no, really, how was this made?” The simplicity of the answer may be the most impressive part.
Cosmo captured the original ancient sculptures, the marble “Head of a horse of Selene from the east pediment of the Parthenon” (Acropolis, Athens, 438-432 BC) and “Portrait of Alexander the Great” (Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC), using digital photography and Autodesk 123D Catch (free). You may remember his work at the Getty Museum using the same process that got him some buzz back in June. These scans were cleaned up and turned into 3D-printable models using the programs Blender (free) and Netfabb Studio Basic (also free).
Since Cosmo aimed to make the pieces true-to-life and not scaled down, he had to slice them up into multiple pieces. This awesome photo shows the 29 unfinished blocks of the horse head before Cosmo went to work fusing them and adding the incredible bronze patina finish seen above.

Here’s a shot of Bre holding the sculpture in our office to give you an idea of just how large “life-size” really is.

The next picture shows a similar blank of the Alexander the Great portrait, followed by a gallery shot of three different finishes Cosmo tried out on this piece. I can speak for MakerBot staff in saying that these sculptures are incredibly authentic looking and feeling, which caused several people in the office to wonder why we had them. “Are we going to scan these and make them on a MakerBot?” No, no, we explained. These were already made on a MakerBot.



Take a minute to read the descriptions of each of these pieces over at Thingiverse. Cosmo takes great time to explain the motivations for his uploads and his appreciation for the sculptures themselves. Here’s an excerpt.

I imagine a Greek guy walking around 2,000 years ago with acamera obscura with some kind of light sensitive papyrus inside, trying to raise funds to get his light enscribing machine into mass production. Alas, there was no Kickstarter back then.
Or, maybe the artist and horse in bright sunlight, the artist covering his eyes. The horse’s handler startles it into motion, and the artist opens his eyes for an instant, closes them again, then draws quickly with his eyes shut while the image fades in his retinas – the lens, film, and darkroom being his eyes… I dunno – either that or weeks of careful study, scores of sketches of impressions of a horse in motion, composited into this exacting model. But that doesn’t sound like as much fun.

What’s funny here is that Cosmo is trying to figure out what great ingenuity and creativity must have led to the stunning original sculpture thousands of years ago, and all of us are doing the same thing for Cosmo’s work in 2012. MakerBot is proud to display work from this forward-thinking artist and creative explorer.

This is quoted from http://blog.objet.com/2012/10/17/microsoft-surface-new-design-benefits-from-3d-printing/ .

Microsoft Surface New Design Benefits from 3D Printing

October 17, 2012

There’s a nice article over on the Verge today by David Pierce that takes an inside look at how Microsoft’s new tablet PC – the Surface, was created. What strikes me as unusual is the openness in which companies like Microsoft are now talking about 3D printing. In the past 3D printing was considered in many respects a ‘hush hush’ technology and many companies would try to hide the fact that they were using 3D printing, particularly from perceived competitors.
But as 3D printing has jumped into the mainstream over the last year, we now see the cloak of secrecy slipping away to reveal some very sleek 3D printers and prototypes inside those sterile rooms. And we are now hearing plainly and clearly how powerful this technology is in producing the next generation of leading consumer devices.
For Microsoft, the user experience and ergonomics of their new Surface tablet is critical to the success of this device. As general manager for the Surface, Panos Panay says, ”there were no accidents in this device”.  Verge journalist David Pierce also confirms this when he says that “every feature on the Surface seems to be the result of countless meetings, iterations, and refinements. Engineers and designers are able to craft and produce a new model in only a couple of hours, and have clearly used that power liberally.”

Objet Connex 3D Printing a Microsoft Surface Prototype Part

He’s also seen the 3D printers used to create the over 300 prototypes of the final device – including an Objet system (which he refers to as PolyJet in his article) used to create the hinges and metal flap of the device’s much talked-about kickstand. You can see a fleeting glimpse of an Objet Connex multi-material 3D printer at 01.15 in their film above – looks like it’s printing a longitudinal frame part in Rigid Blue or perhaps a Gray composite Digital Material.
3D printing technology is one of the main reasons why design teams today are able to perform the ’countless meeting, iterations and refinements’ that go into today’s generation of consumer devices. Taking an about-turn to the standard, basic and boxy designs we all remember from the 90′s, today’s devices are in many ways, works of art that are finely tuned to the psychology of the consumer.
They convey a clear message that a computer device is no longer a cheaply pressed box of soldered wires that will break as soon as your young nephew gets his hands on it, but rather a lurcative product that is solidly crafted, long lasting and intutive to use.
With over 200 custom parts in the Surface tablet alone, Microsoft certainly appears to have taken quality design to the next level.  I’m looking forward to a closer inspection as soon as I can!

3D printing Face-off

This is quoted from http://cubify.com/blog/face-off/ .

Face-off

Published on October 11th, 2012 by Effie 

One of our office-mates from medical applications development found himself face-to-face with… himself!
Patrick scanned his face with a Planmeca ProMax 3D ProFace CAT scan machine from Finland (X-ray setting off, of course), and used a ZPrinter 650 to do a full-color print of his face. Creepy? Yes. Awesome? Yes. The beginning of the freakiest Halloween costume ever? We can only hope!