3-D printing

“Three MIT students designed and built a 3D printer that extrudes 3D ice-cream treats in custom shapes,” reports Boston.com. The design was part of a class project on additive manufacturing.

“The main reason we feel an ice cream 3D printer is an important addition to current additive manufacturing technology is that it interests children,” said MIT students who designed a 3D ice cream printer, reports Samuel Gibbs for The Guardian.

Paul Marks writes for The New Scientist about Protoprint, a company founded by MIT alumnus Sidhant Pai that strives to get decent prices for pickers collecting plastic by repurposing plastic waste for 3D printing. "Our waste-pickers will earn 15 to 20 times more for the same amount of plastic," says Pai.

Associated Press reporter Rodrique Ngowi writes about how researchers at the MIT Media Lab have developed a prototype of an audio reading device for the blind. The device, which is in the early stages of development, is produced by a 3-D printer and is equipped with a small camera that scans text. 

Wall Street Journal reporter Elizabeth Yuan writes about the OrigamiUSA convention and Professor Erik Demaine’s talk about his work designing multi-functional origami systems that can be programmed. “You can imagine a piece of furniture that turns into a chair, folds into an umbrella, anything you want,” Demaine explains. 

“When it comes out of the 3D printer, the robot is just a sheet made of a polymer called polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. The sheet is sandwiched between two rigid polyester films. Slits cut into the films affect how the PVC sheet will fold when it is heated,” writes UPI reporter Brooks Hays of new work with self-assembling robots. 

New Scientist writer Aviva Rutkin reports that MIT researchers have developed a new process in which flat cut-outs are able to self-assemble into robots when heated. "What we would like is to provide design tools that allow people who are not experts to create their own machines," explains Prof. Daniela Rus. 

In a piece for Wired, Olivia Solon writes about how Professor Daniela Rus’ research group has developed, “a system of 2D patterns cut into plastic that can self-fold under heat into 3D shapes.” 

Forbes reporter Jasper Hamill describes a new technique developed by Prof. Daniela Rus that allows robots to self-assemble when heated. “The components can be produced simply by heating up the plastic, which is cleverly designed so it folds itself into the right form,” writes Hamill. 

“Eventually she can see a world where people can use an algorithm to analyze an image, create blueprints and print out fully functional robots. This could be a big deal in manufacturing, health care and, yes, toys,” writes NBC News writer Keith Wagstaff of Professor Daniela Rus’ work with self-assembling robots.