3D-printed Aston Martin

Aston Martin only made about 1,200 DB4 cars back in the day, and today some versions can fetch millions at auction. Ivan Sentch of New Zealand has printed about three-quarters of the mold parts for his handmade Aston Martin DB4. The resident of Auckland, New Zealand, has printed nearly three-quarters of the sections for his … Read more

A 3D Printer in Every Home?

Before 3D printers become as ubiquitous as cellphones, they could form the basis of small-scale manufacturing concerns and have huge potential both here and for developing countries, where access to many products is limited. Associate Professor Joshua Pearce, a Michigan Technological University researcher posits the following: “Say you are in the camping supply business and … Read more

And the Winning Horse, Open Source!

This year, for the first time, respondents to the annual Future of Open Source Survey chose “better software quality” as the No. 1 reason for adopting open source. Is innovation in enterprise software happening anywhere else other than in open source land? Hadoop is at the center of the big data trend. OpenStack has the … Read more

Photo Voltaic Technology — The State of the Art

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

Building with Bioreactor Facade

An experimental apartment building in Hamburg, Germany is harnessing the power of the sun to generate power, but not in the way you expect. Photovoltaic cells are totally yesterdays news — the BIQ building gathers power using a bioreactor façade packed full of microalgae. Large clear panels on the front of the building are where … Read more

3D Printing with 6,500 Live Silkworms

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

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?

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