University of California San Diego engineers have developed a new method to create insect robots that doesn’t require any special equipment and works in just minutes. “Flexoskeletons” enable them to create soft, flexible, 3D-printed robots, which have both soft and rigid parts. These flexoskeletons are made from 3D printing a rigid material directly onto a thin sheet that acts as a flexible base. Read more for a video and additional information.
Italy-based startup Isinnova has started to 3D-print valves that transform snorkeling masks into functional CPAP ventilators to save COVID-19 patients. What is a CPAP mask used for? It’s to helps aid patients who can still breathe spontaneously on their own, but need help keeping their airways unobstructed. They’ve created 500 of these 3D printed respirator masks so far and distributed to hospitals in Italy to those needed. Read more for a video and additional information.
Belgium-based software and 3D printing company Materialise wants to stop the spread of COVID-19, starting with its new 3D printed hands-free door opener. The plans are free for anyone to use, and enables one to open or close doors using just their arm, thus eliminating the need for direct contact with handles. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Created by industrial designer Alan Wong, Kranio X is a handcrafted Bluetooth speaker unlike any other, starting with the lynx skull-shaped casing that contrasts a feral, organic feature with the cold, synthetic mechanical parts. Fortunately, not animals were harmed in the making of this device, as all of it has been 3D-printed. Offering 10-watts of power and weighing in at 4.4 pounds, it measures 240 x 160 x 153 cm. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
Lee Sang-Won used 3D-printers, along with his expert model building skills, to create a miniature 2021 Kia Sorento. The automaker helped out tremendously by giving him access to CAD models of the new SUV to accurately recreate the body structure. Adding to the authenticity, there are functional LED headlights, turn signals, and even taillights. Read more for a video and additional pictures.
Spain-based NovaMeat has created the world’s first 3D-printed plant based beef steak, and it looks just like the real thing. This was made possible by “finely tuning” the structure of plant-based proteins at a microscopic level, thus matching the unique texture and color of beef steak. The startup plans on selling its steaks later this year and will start installing machines commercially next year. Read more for a video and additional information.
Designer and 3D-printing expert Danielle Baskin is offering custom N95 respirator masks that are not only smartphone-friendly, but protect against the coranovirus as well. Simply put, it prints a high-definition image of the mouth and nose onto disposable N95 respirator masks, thus enabling Facial ID software in the latest smartphones to recognize the wearer without them having to remove it. Read more for additional pictures and information.
You’ve seen all the teaser videos of the Czinger 21C, now here’s an up-close look, courtesy of Top Gear. This hypercar is powered by a mid-mounted, twin-turbocharged 2.88-liter V8 engine paired with an electric motor for each front wheel for a combined output of 1,233 horsepower, mated to a seven-speed sequential gearbox sending power to all four wheels. Read more for two videos, additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: EPFL | Alain Herzog
EPFL researchers at the Laboratory of Applied Photonics Devices (LAPD) have devised a high-precision method for 3D-printing small, soft objects in under 30-seconds from start to finish, which means that there are various potential applications in a wide range of fields, including 3D bioprinting. The process begins with a translucent liquid, and then darker spots begin to form in the small, spinning container until, 30-seconds later, the finished product takes shape. Read more for a video and additional information.
Photo credit: Dimitar Tilev
Auto enthusiast Dimitar Tilev decided to take remote-controlled drift cars to the next level by building one that’s powered by an Arduino microprocessor and four servo motors connected to an accelerometer. Combine those with several 3D-printed parts and you have an active suspension that leans just like a real car while drifting. Read more to see it in-action and for additional information.