Sugru sheds light on the unsung hero of creativity
Most of us have already encountered Sugru, and many are using it in all kinds of interesting, creative ways. The team behind this extraordinary putty have enjoyed becoming a hub for Fixers so much that they put their heads together to come up with an equally extraordinary document: The Fixer’s Manifesto.
“We made this to fuel the conversation about why a culture of fixing is so important.”
Drawing inspiration from documents such as the Repair Manifesto by Platform 21 amongst others, this variation seeks to expand and grow by tapping into the huge community of makers, thinkers and fixers that have already shown such inspired creativity using Sugru.
Click through to see the The Fixer’s Manifesto in full, and keep in mind that this currently exists as Version 1.0 in what is intended to be an ever-evolving credo that can be tweaked and tinkered with, in true Sugru style. (more…)
Posted in Design, Guy Blashki, Interviews, Thoughts + Opinions, Maker Movement, Technology by Guy Blashki | Comments are off for this post
-
-
-
-
Simple technologies enable objects to take form before your eyes
One of the gorgeous explorations from the students at ECAL, the University of Art and Design Lausanne, Animal Growth challenges the automated production processes that most designers have come to rely on.
In Animal Growth, simple hand tools are utilised to break down the manufacturing process of expanded foam animal toys. Templates that enable an operator to cut, glue, and fill the animal form have the appearance of something much more refined than the prototyping model-shop roots that these techniques would suggest.
The Low-Tech Factory projects were recently exhibited as a part of a local design festival, and showcased six fun, unique production processes. Each project is supported by an engaging video of the process in action, where you can really get a taste for the physicality of the forms as they come to life before your eyes.
“Students look at showcasing the manufacturing process of an object, from the machine to the finished product.”
Click through to see the Animal Growth clip, and we’ve also thrown in the other quirky Low-Tech Factory videos. They’re just too good to skip over.
(more…)
Posted in Functional Art + Objects, Guy Blashki, Inventions, Toys + Games by Guy Blashki | Comments are off for this post
-
-
-
-
Surprising updates seamlessly blend reality and imagination
Bringing 3D printing into the public arena on a more subtle level than we are used to seeing, Greg Petchkovsky’s entry to the Instructables Make It Real challenge is quite an eye-catcher.
Focusing on modifying or updating objects in unexpected ways, his technique involves taking dozens of pictures at different angles of an object, and then importing them into Agisoft PhotoScan for processing. The result is a high-resolution, full-colour point cloud that can be used for 3D modelling.
Click through for a video that shows just how he came to this clever outcome. (more…)
Posted in 3D Printing, Functional Art + Objects, Guy Blashki by Guy Blashki | Comments are off for this post
Make your own stuff using: 3D Printing
-
-
-
-
Saying Cheese takes on a whole new form in Japan
In a neighbourhood that is famous for unique photo opportunities, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd in Harajuku, Japan. Yet the Omote 3D photo booth is doing just that in what may be the world’s first 3D printing photo booth.
Operating for a limited time at the exhibition space Eye of Gyre, the service will offer a miniature replica of passers-by in three sizes and three not-so-small price points. Having said that, the quality of these personal reproductions is remarkably good.
Following a 15 minute 3D scan, the subject can then tweak the model to choose features such as hair colour and clothing details, before proceeding to the final print.
Click through for further examples and details on how to reserve a booking to get ahead of the crowds. (more…)
Posted in 3D Printing, Functional Art + Objects, Guy Blashki by Guy Blashki | Comments are off for this post
Make your own stuff using: 3D Printing
-
-
-
-
Introducing fallibility with robotic precision
Inspired by the sounds of the infamous TR-808 drum machine, this robotic instrument by Moritz Simon Geist is unusual in that it explores the concept of “errors” in music.
“A drum beaten by a mechanic robot arm can never be as predictable as a computer generated sound. Consequently, the mechanic character of the installation introduces fallibility into the performance.”
The assortment of percussion instruments are struck using motors and solenoids connected to an Arduino board. This combination of analog parts and robotic controllers is the result of an extensive experimentation process designed to recreate the iconic 808 soundscape.
Discover more about how this was achieved along with other robotic instruments at the project homepage on Sonic Robots.
MR-808 via BoingBoing
Posted in Electronics + Robotics, Guy Blashki by Guy Blashki | Comments are off for this post
-
-
-
-
Putting the maker right back where the action is
Here is an interesting project that aims to address the way that CAD programs tend to remove the maker from the actual workpiece. While many of us see the hours spent staring at a screen as being a necessary step in the digital manufacturing workflow, Constructable puts the maker right back in the action.
“Constructable is an interactive drafting table that produces precise physical output in every step.”
This ongoing project from the Hasso Plattner Institute’s Human-Computer Interaction Group allows an operator to perform drafting tasks directly onto the working surface. It does this via a series of handheld lasers, using what could be seen as a physical incarnation of the familiar CAD toolbar.
The system adjusts and corrects the hand-drawn path to produce outcomes of high precision, as one would expect from a laser cutting device.
Click through for a brief clip that shows how range of objects can take form quickly and easily using Constructable. (more…)
Posted in Guy Blashki, Laser Cutting, Technology by Guy Blashki | Comments are off for this post
Make your own stuff using: Laser Cutting
-
-
-
-
Making it even easier to get into electronics
We all know and love Arduino, and what it has done for the rapidly growing world of DIY electronics. Yet the complexities of Arduino can be a bit much for young makers, and education enthusiast Tom Lauwers just may have the answer to harness that creativity while it is still fresh.
Heralded as a kind of “pre-Arduino”, the Hummingbird kit from Birdbrain consists of a custom controller that connects to a range of motors, sensors and lights that allow kids to build their own functional robots and more.
“…the Hummingbird controller is designed for kids who have never touched electronics or programming before.”
It’s really easy to get started making fully functional electronic devices, but don’t take our word for it. Click through to the source where Tom talks it all through in a neat clip featuring an animatronic cardboard dragon made by some 10 year old kids. Now that’s seriously fun.
Hummingbird via Engadget
Posted in Electronics + Robotics, Guy Blashki, Hardware, Inventions, Maker Movement, Toys + Games by Guy Blashki | Comments are off for this post
-
-
-
-
Challenging perceptions of what 3D printing can do
Extending on his earlier work with scanning and printing museum objects, California-based Cosmo Wenman contributed these impressive 3D printed replica sculptures to the MakerBot team’s exhibit for London’s 3D Print Show.
The equine form and bust of Alexander the Great were scanned using 123D Catch and printed in sections at 1:1 scale on a MakerBot Replicator. Once assembled and painted, the outcome is remarkably true to the historic original.
Click through to see the 29 unfinished blocks that make up the horse head, before they were fused together and finished with that incredible bronze patina. (more…)
Posted in 3D Printing, Art, Guy Blashki by Guy Blashki | Comments are off for this post
Make your own stuff using: 3D Printing
-
-
-
-
Retro-Technify your electricals with laser-cut accessories
Flicking a switch is something we so easily take for granted. With the smallest action, darkness is banished and the room is flooded with light. Taking a more considered approach to the wonders of electric lights, this range of switch enhancers combines the high-tech precision of laser cutting with a mechanical sensibility that hearkens back to simpler times.
The planetary gear adaptation pictured above is just one of several wonderfully overcomplexified wall plate add-ons from Father and Son team Lance and L.J. Nybye. Other variations on the Steampunk theme include rack-and-pinion mechanisms, levers and toggles all beautifully laser cut from high quality plywood. If plain old plastic toggles simply aren’t your thing, the Steampunk light switch collection is available to purchase at Green Tree Jewelry.
via Make:
Posted in Functional Art + Objects, Guy Blashki, Laser Cutting by Guy Blashki | Comments are off for this post
Make your own stuff using: Laser Cutting
-
-
-
-
Reprocessed digital scans printed as new objects with a twist
Digital techniques will often carry with them errors and glitches, but as London-based artist Matthew Plummer-Fernandez shows, they need not be a point of frustration.
In his recent series, Digital Natives, these glitches become a source of inspiration as they are used to transform everyday objects through digital manufacturing techniques.
Matthew first creates a 3D scan using a digital camera, and then applies some custom algorithms that he has developed to process the data. Once his tweaks for form and colour are all done, the refined, reprocessed object is then 3D printed to re-enter the physical realm. (more…)
Posted in 3D Printing, Functional Art + Objects, Guy Blashki by Guy Blashki | Comments are off for this post
Make your own stuff using: 3D Printing
-
-
-
-
RSS Feed
follow
like
see
watch
Submit
