Three Cool Rapd Prototyping Examples

Posted: June 18th, 2008 | Author: Steve | Filed under: Technology | Comments

This week we’ve got some very interesting goodies from the rapid prototyping community.

I’m very excited by this first one, which combines a downloadable design with biomimicry and rapid prototyping to make a very cool-looking table:

Fractal Table Can Only Be Made By Rapid Prototyping : TreeHugger

This table is a perfect example of how to use examples of nature to make something which is both simple and complex at the same time, and inherently beautiful. While it may seem complex at first, it uses a fractal-based design to implement its complexity. Fractals are basically simple pattern which are repeated on increasingly smaller scales. Most natural  and biological structures are based on fractal designs. They are also used to build the landscapes in video games without a lot of overhead.

Tea, Earl Grey, Black

Posted: March 31st, 2008 | Author: Steve | Filed under: Technology | Comments

This week, during our class discussion of prototypes, the text barely touched on the subject of “rapid prototyping”, another name for 3D printing. I am fascinated by the implications that this technology has for manufacturing and for sustainability. As a matter of fact, the confluence of several different ideas and technologies are making it possible to reverse the trend of mass-production and mass consumption and turn it on its head, where soon we will be able to make what we need, only when we need it, and exactly to our specifications. Forget mass customization: think Star Trek.