Manufacturing

Renzo Piano’s Dream of a Tiny House

by

The aluminum-clad wood house is 8.2 feet wide by 9.8 feet long by 11.5 feet high. It features two rainwater tanks attached to a boiler, a composting toilet, triple-glazed windows and insulated walls that can withstand temperatures from minus 10 degrees to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Electricity comes from three rechargeable batteries that plug into an … Read more

Photo Voltaic Technology — The State of the Art

by

Science tells us that every square meter of the earth’s surface, when exposed to direct sunlight, receives about 1000 watts (1 kilowatt) of energy from the sun’s light. Depending on the angle of sunlight, which changes with the time of day, and the geographical location, the power of the sun’s light will be somewhat more … Read more

3D Printing with 6,500 Live Silkworms

by

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have accomplished a stunning architectural feat using silkworms. To construct this “Silk Pavillion,” 6,500 live silkworms were guided via computer, creating a 3D print of the domed structure. Students at MIT studied the worms’ spinning patterns and tested whether they could control them by altering the worms’ … Read more

Test Firing: 3D-Printed Rocket Injector

by

NASA has successfully tested its first rocket engine component made through 3D printing. On Thursday, NASA subjected its new rocket engine injector to a series of high-pressure fire tests involving liquid oxygen and gaseous hydrogen, demonstrating that additive manufacturing (its official name) could one day help the agency build the next generation of rockets faster … Read more

Crossing the U.S. on Ten Gallons?

by

URBEE is a return to fundamentals, a rethink of traditional automotive design and manufacturing. As a species endangered by our own actions, we must quickly learn to stop burning fossil fuels. Surely, the ultimate goal of Design is to serve the ‘public good’. Therefore, corporations and individual designers have a responsibility to offer products that … Read more

Food Synthesis – From Soy or Soylent Green?

by

NASA just threw a $125,000, six-month grant at a project by Anjan Contractor, a mechanical engineer at Systems and Materials Research Corporation in Austin to develop a working prototype of his proposed universal food synthesizer. The feedstocks for this device, including all the carbs, proteins, macro, and micro nutrients are in powder form. Does placing … Read more

Formlabs Form 1 3D Desktop Printer

by

Most 3D printers use a technique called extrusion, through which the printer melts plastic and lays it down in layers to create a 3D object. But the Form 1 features stereolithography, which uses a laser to cure liquid resin into microscopic layers, resulting in much more precise creations. For $3,300, the Form 1 package includes … Read more