- Design
The Festo BionicOpter
Festo is known for its appreciation of bio-mimicry in their robotic designs and the new BionicOpter is no exception. The BionicOpter leverages a unique multidisciplinary design approach combining lightweight sensors, actuators and mechanical elements with the latest in 21st century materials science. Much like Festo’s Bionic Handling Assistant the BionicOpter both looks and flies much like its organic dragonfly cousin.
The Age of the 3D Printed Gun
Posted by ebongeek in Design, Insolitus Politics on March 25, 2013
Whatever your opinion may be on the gun control debate one thing is clear someone, somewhere, will create a fully functional 3d printed gun and when they do the world will change. Small arms manufacturing could become a kind of cottage industry with people from all over the world creating not only copies of existing firearms but entirely new gun mashups, mixing ideas, capabilities and features from different designers to create an entirely new class of DIY weapons. Current designs are made out of thermoplastic powder but when the cost of more advanced 3d fabrication methods comes down the dream of the homemade printed firearm could become reality much sooner than you may think. 3D Systems Corp has created a 3d printer which uses a high powered laser to fuse aluminum and titanium powders together directly from CAD data to create fully functional metal parts. Electron beam freeform fabrication can also print durable metal parts capable of withstanding the heat and pressure demands of modern firearms which could go a long way toward creating the printed firearms industry. To some this may sound far fetched today but then again in the 21st century so do alot of things. In this Motherboard documentary Vice takes a look at Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed in their effort to create the world’s first 3d printed gun.
The Documentary
The Interview
Search engine for 3D printing
Anyone Can Be A Manufacturer
The next manufacturing revolution has begun–and it’s being led by individuals, not multinational corporations. The Industrial Revolution brought us mass manufacturing. Manufacturing 2.0 delivered high-tech automation that dramatically increased our productivity and enabled mass customization. Today [individuals] can bring the capabilities that mass manufacturing allowed to a very small lot size. – John Rogers, Founder and CEO of Local Motors The next manufacturing revolution is about empowering individuals with the same types of manufacturing capabilities that were once only available to large corporations. The plummeting costs of manufacturing-related technologies (e.g., CAD software and 3D printers) has reached the point where this field is now accessible to the average person. It’s easier than ever to become a manufacturer.
Nature Mill Rises from Humble Beginnings
In the past, innovators and enthusiasts had to settle for assembling a kit. Today, they can be involved in everything from design to final assembly.Take Russ Cohen, the CEO of Nature Mill. In true startup fashion, Cohen launched Nature Mill in his garage to make an automatic compost bin. In the beginning, Cohen built prototypes by hand using a metal bender and a jig. These prototypes offered his contract manufacturers a general idea of what to build, but were imprecise and resulted in re-engineering before production. Fortunately, computer-aided design (CAD) software has become affordable and fairly easy to use. Cohen purchased the CAD program SolidWorks and taught himself to use it. According to Cohen, CAD has become a lot like Microsoft Excel in that “nearly anyone can use the basic functionality right away and learn the complex stuff as you go.” Cohen is now able to share exact engineering specs with his contract manufacturers, which eliminates guesswork and accelerates time-to-market. To find contract manufacturers, Cohen uses the site Alibaba. In this forum, anyone can post CAD schematics for what they want built. Contract manufacturers willing to make it happen respond with a bid to take it from concept to product. As it turns out, tapping into a broader community to manufacture things is gaining in popularity.
Local Motors Creates a Manufacturing Community
Another instance of individuals taking manufacturing into their own hands is Local Motors, which produces crowdsourced cars. The Local Motors model is simple: people submit design prototypes and Local Motors helps build the best ones in a microfactory over a couple of weekends. What’s fascinating is that anyone can submit their idea and get feedback from a community of engineers, car enthusiasts, industrial designers and fabricators. It could potentially transform automotive manufacturing from an industry that once required a multi-million (or billion) dollar investment to one that anyone with a passion for cars can tap into. John Rogers, Founder and CEO of Local Motors, says that he started the company “to speed up the pace of technological innovation in the automotive industry.” But he also wanted to prove a point: everyday people can be manufacturers. When I look at the technologies available today, I tend to agree.
Manufacturing Technologies at Our Fingertips
I’ve already highlighted several technologies that are giving people a shot at making their ideas a reality, but here’s a more comprehensive list:
- Crowdsourcing – Crowdsourcing is an approach to idea generation and product development, not a technology. However, there’s a variety of tech resources available that enable crowdsourcing for any kind of project; check out Open Innovation for a great list.
- CAD Software – 2D and 3D designs created with CAD software can be saved in a sharable file format before production. You can accessprofessional-grade CAD software on a subscription basis for $19.95/month from Local Motors.
- 3D Printing – 3D printers are rapidly decreasing in price, making it affordable to create a prototype model of a CAD design. Some 3D printers, such as Objet, are already powerful enough to make small numbers of finished items. As this technology advances, the hope is that individuals will be able to produce larger batches of finished products.
- Manufacturing-as-a-Service – Manufacturing is following software’s lead and becoming an on-demand service. Online manufacturing directories like Alibaba and ThomasNet can connect you with a manufacturer that will build for you so you don’t have to invest in any equipment.
- Cloud Computing – The Cloud isn’t a manufacturing-specific technology but it deserves a mention because of how cost-effective it makes running a product business. Cloud solutions like NetSuite and Plexprovide affordable solutions for managing orders, inventory, accounting and other business functions.
- E-commerce – Of course, the Internet is a critical enabler for any business these days. Sites like eBay, Amazon, or your own e-commerce website, make it easy for customers to find and buy from you. If you’re interested in running your own e-commerce site, you should check out Volusion and BigCommerce.
Collectively, these technologies make it easier than ever to go from idea to product to market. We’ve already seen technological advances democratize music, film, publishing and other industries. Why not manufacturing?
Source: http://blog.softwareadvice.com/articles/manufacturing/anyone-can-be-a-manufacturer-1031312
Read more: http://blog.softwareadvice.com/derek-singleton/
Manufacturing Resource Planning: http://www.softwareadvice.com/manufacturing/mrp-software-comparison/
Print My Ride
3d printers are great for rendering small 3d objects and complex machine parts but what about larger more complex machines requiring many moving parts. Well a couple of researchers put have together a project to print a bike using a 3d printer and we’re not talking about a model for display they actually seek to ride it check this out.
Microsoft Envisions A Future But Are They Truly Capable Of Creating It
We have seen this before, it’s a concept video designed to show off what one company envisions for the future. Some companies are able to turn their visions into reality while others struggle to achieve their vision. Others seem to lose their way entirely, in time forgetting the great vision they once had. Microsoft had all the ingredients they needed to dominate the tablet market segment, the smart phone segment and internet search yet missed the mark allowing other companies to surge ahead of them. So it is no surprise that we here at Ebongeek are quite skeptical about the likelyhood that Microsoft can deliver on this beautiful vision they have created. To its credit these videos are well produced, awe inspiring and futuristic. Its a world where technology is everywhere, seemingly embedded and integrated into everything from the tables to the walls, the tools and applications depicted appear not only useful but truly beautiful. Oddly that’s the problem, Microsoft’s future vision is not truly as radical and revolutionary as one would expect or hope for. This future is just like now but better, with wider, thinner, brighter and faster versions of devices and applications that exist today. If one is to strive for a vision of the future it must be more than a better version of the present it must be truly transformative and revolutionary. So come on Microsoft surprise us, astound us, show us something we have never seen before. Are you up to the challenge?
123D And The New Industrial Revolution
3D Printing and personal fabrication tools are poised to take the world by storm. This disruptive technology will soon change the nature of manufacturing and consumer culture. In this talk Carl Bass CEO of Autodesk with host Chris Anderson explore the future of American manufacturing and reveal how it will soon be possible to scan almost any object from reality, modify it and replicate a new manufactured object for use in the real world. If you are an artist, designer, maker or just want to play around with these fun new tools, check out Autodesk’s 123D and start making creations of your own.
Also See 3D Printing is ready for prime-time
The iPhone 5 is Here
Posted by ebongeek in Cell Phones, Design, Electronics, TechNews on October 2, 2011
Well sort of…the folks over at Giga.de have created this slick mockup of the next iPhone based on all the current rumors circulating around the net. We won’t know for sure until the big reveal on Oct 4th 2011 when Apple makes their big announcement in Cupertino California but you can rest assured that the rumors will continue to fly right up to the very last moment. According to Giga.de; “We currently believe that the iPhone 5 will be thinner than the current generation, it’ll also come with a larger 4 inch display. That being said, the biggest obvious change will be the teardrop design, which already made some news in the past months.” Source: Giga.de
Related Post:
Apple Embraces Artificial Intelligence With The Siri Personal Assistant
Data Storage Goes Infinite With Bitcasa
Posted by ebongeek in Design, Geek Stuff on September 18, 2011
This is one of the most innovative services we have seen in a long time, it’s called Bitcasa it provides secure, real-time streaming of all your data seamlessly to the cloud and does so on any device. If you have a Mac, PC, or Linux Box, Bitcasa keeps your data safe and secure. It uses a encryption method called Convergent Encryption to secure customer data which is what makes Bitcasadifferent from other cloud storage offerings. Convergent Encryption uses a function of the hash of the plaintext of a chunk as the encryption key: any client encrypting a given chunk will use the same key to do so, so identical plaintext values will encrypt to identical ciphertext values, regardless of who encrypts them. (Storer, Greenan, Long, Miller) According to Bitcasa CEO Tony Gauda “when you encrypt data, I have a key and you have a key. And let’s say that that these are completely different. Let’s say that we both have the exact same file. I encrypt it with my key and you encrypt it with your key. Now the data looks completely different because the encryption keys are different. Well, what happens if you actually derive the key from the data itself? Now we both have the exact same encryption key and we can de-dupe on the server side.” (Gauda) In his pitch at Disrupt Gauda demonstrated the ability to play two HD videos using Bitcasa. This service could be a major game changer for consumers that never want to worry backing up their data or moving their data from old devices to new devices. The enterprise sector could also benefit from this technology given the ever expanding need to provide its user base with high volume cloud storage solutions.
For other news from Disrupt 2011 check out LTG’s coverage of the event. And check out the LTG podcast.
Read More: http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/18/bitcasa-explains-encryption/
Convergent Encryption : Secure Data Deduplication by Mark W. Storer Kevin Greenan Darrell D. E. Long Ethan L. Miller
Storage Systems Research Center University of California, Santa Cruz {mstorer,kmgreen,darrell,elm}@cs.ucsc.edu
An Eye For An Eyeborg
Posted by ebongeek in Design, Electronics, Singularity News on August 28, 2011
Filmmaker Rob Spence lost his eye to an accident but this tragic event gave birth to a radical vision to make himself a cyborg. According to TechCrunch; “Spence has worked with a team of engineers to adapt an endoscope into a working in-socket video camera. It’s turned on by waving a magnet near it, at which point it will begin transmitting a wireless video signal to a handheld LCD viewer. What’s yet to be accomplished with an artificial eye is hooking it up effectively to the visual cortex, and that is still years away from being practical at least, for producing any kind of detail. Existing cortical microelectrode arrays just don’t have the density required, and as a result produce something only loosely definable as an image.” Source TechCrunch The new emerging technology of prosthetics and augmentation is advancing rapidly, so much so that it blurs the distinction between science and science fiction.
Jacque Fresco’s Inspiring Vision Of A Future
Posted by ebongeek in Design, Green Tech on August 20, 2011
He may be one of the most underrated visionary design futurists of the 20th century. Born in Brooklyn New York in 1916; Jacque Fresco is a self-educated structural designer, philosopher of science, concept artist, educator urban planner and futurist. During his life Fresco, created thousands of design ideas, he holds numerous patents on architectural designs, transportation systems and medical devices. What started as an effort to match design concepts with form and function evolved in to an entire design philosophy that takes a human centered approach to industrial design and large scale social planning. Fresco has created entire city systems that are visually stunning, functional, elegant and resource efficient. His design approach extends the planning, resource usage and automated assembly systems required to implement his ideas. Although his designs are ambitious, future focused and functional some that have seen Fresco’s work consider him to be a nothing more than a utopian dreamer. Others see his work as simply too impractical, merely conceptual or simply too unrealistic to ever come to fruition. According to Fresco; “We do not believe in the erroneous notion of a utopian society. There is no such thing. Societies are always in a state of transition. We propose an alternative direction, which addresses the causes of many of our problems. There are no final frontiers for human and technological achievement.” The fact is Jacque Fresco is a big thinker, his work seeks to redesign human civilization from the ground up.
Read more:
http://www.thevenusproject.com
The Machine Beauty of Bionics and Design
Posted by ebongeek in Design, Singularity News, TechNews on August 10, 2011
MIT professor Hugh Herr lost both of his legs in a tragic climbing accident when he was just seventeen. Today he is head of the MIT Biomechatronics Group where he develops highly advanced cutting edge prosthetic limbs in an effort to;”advance technologies that promise to accelerate the merging of body and machine. His methods encompass a diverse set of scientific and technological disciplines, from the science of bio-mechanics and biological movement control to the design of bio-medical devices for the treatment of human physical disability. ” Source MIT. Herr believes; “there is no such thing as a disabled person, there are only disabled technologies”. Unlike biological limbs Herr’s bionic limbs are upgradable and adaptable to a wide range of needs and environments. In this TED talk, Herr imagines a world where human limitations can be overcome through technological innovation.
“Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough and I will move the world” Archimedes, 220 BC
2nd Generation Superconducting Maglev
Posted by ebongeek in Design, Environment, TechNews on August 5, 2011
Inventors Dr. Gordon Danby and Dr. James Powell, are working to build the nations next generation transportation system based on Superconducting Maglev rail. Large scale transportation infrastructure plays a vital role in a nations economic success. In the United States both the Transcontinental Railroad and the Interstate Highway System provide the primary backbone for the free movement of goods throughout the country. In recent years however the situation both in the US and around the world has changed dramatically. As countries compete for scarce oil resources, more efficient transportation systems will become necessary to ensure the world’s economic stability and future growth. One unique feature of Danby and Powell’s system is the ability to carry fully-loaded trucks which could allow freight carriers to roll-on and roll-off the train at a fraction of the cost of normal shipping methods. This innovation could lead to a much smaller carbon foot print for the commercial shipping industry and less wear and tear on our Interstate Highways System.
Read More: Magneticglide
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