Rapid Prefab House Construction in Rugged Terrain
Coool 6 minute video of a 4,500 square foot home, and a 1,500 square foot cottage built in just 5 days in a rural and rugged part of Vancouver.
Maxifab – 3D Printing Framework
The heart of the framework consists of a set of plastic parts that hold the key functionality of the machine and allows for an almost limitless choice of case materials, designs, and dimensions.
This is a great idea, and what’s even cooler is that it’s already it’s already been funded via Kickstarter to the tune of $6k on a $5k ask.
Why is this important? You can, on the fly, build a 3d printer, of any size, using only locally derived materials in conjunction with a few parts that can fit into a backpack.
Added bonus, those parts will be able to be printed on demand. Think about this on an operational basis. You can ruck out to nowhere. Build a printer, print the framework. Then ruck out further. Build a printer, print the framework. Ruck out even further, build a printer.
In your wake, any designs you can store on a USB stick or iPad can be used to generate tools and in turn productivity.
That pretty amazing. A $5k project takes an already disruptive technology and takes it to the next level. Add the ability to modify/customize designs with a touch screen app and, key, the ability to print with locally available materials, and you’re golden.
Fiction: Google Glass
An augmented reality system that will give users the full range of activities performed with a smart phone — without the smart phone. On top of your field of vision, you get icons, alerts, directional arrows, and other visual cues that inform, warn, or beg response.
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I nestled into Mama’s lap. The fabric of her dress was soft, comforting. Together, we looked down at the crowd. Jostling, sipping.
The first pick-up truck came by. In its bed, they’d painted a white square, filled in with black squares, like tiny Tetris pieces. Together, the sea of people moved and danced and sang, their headpieces clinging desperately to their faces. Parents waved and the children screamed.
Another truck, then another. They kept going by. The crowd roared, some cowered, women grabbed for unseen hats, men hollered for unseen beads. Suddenly everybody looked up, so that Mama and I could make out their eyestrips, and they pointed and laughed. I thought they were laughing at us, but then the laughter turned to screams of fear and delight as whatever specter they saw flew all too close to their outstretched arms.
I begged Mama to let me go down and see. She smiled wanely, holding me close in that bitter cold, and said there was nothing for us to see. I demanded anyway, so she bundled me up and down we went.
On the street, I asked Mama why I couldn’t see what everyone was laughing at. A man overheard me. He was ugly, a nose far too big for his face, and his suit was torn. But he smiled at Mama with his crooked teeth and took off his headset and handed it to me. Try this, he said.
It was too big and covered most of my face. But just like that, the world exploded into light. A barrage of fireworks, creatures swooping in and out of them, dancing stars atop the buildings. There were no pick-ups here. Only singing mountains and fighter planes. Then an enormous, creaking pirate ship, shedding water on us as it passed.
I looked down and saw that I was still dry, but that I was wearing bright multicolored dress of yellows and pinks. I looked around, and the drab grey of the crowd had been replaced with the regalia of a masquerade ball, with sunlight and brilliant suits accompanying still brighter dresses.
I found Mama’s face, a world away. Next to her stood a shining knight. And for a moment, I gave in, and everything was good. But Mama’s tearing eyes didn’t lie, and I ripped off the set and gave it back to the ugly man, then led her inside and away.
—
Part of my ongoing startup dystopia series. Previous installments here.
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A Pottery Post-Mortem
PotteryPrint didn’t end up happening. We stalled out at the 50% mark. That’s OK though. We got to test an edge concept and had fun doing it. That’s what labors of love are for.
First, a heartfelt thanks to each and every person that donated or helped get the word out. Second, thanks to Brian and Cameron. It was a really fun ride. And third, thanks to my new friends at Ponoko. They get it and have an amazing company.
Some of the feedback we got:
The 3d printing world. “Wow. How can we help?” By and large, this group was enthusiastic. That is, the hardware developers, platform providers, and integrators loved it. As they blow out the market, they’re finding that the software side is just too complex for your average consumer to make with.
Here’s a somewhat terrible infographic to illustrate (early adopter to mainstream curve):
There’s a few startups working to make CAD simple, but I think they’re solving the wrong problem. The goal isn’t a new Photoshop (still too complex for most). It is, and I shudder to say this, Zynga for makers. Single-purpose gesture-driven apps.
Consumers. “I can do pottery, I want to create something I can’t myself.” We got this a couple times. And fair enough. But we had to start somewhere. We thought the metaphor was intuitive enough that a child would get the making process, rather than focus on the end result. Maybe we were wrong.
Press. “Printing is too expensive.” Simply, this is true. But that’s the nature of an early adopter app. Per the not-great infographic above, hardware is ahead of software. Costs are plummeting.
Anyway, I don’t really think it was really an execution problem, just an idea too early for its time. That said, there are some things I would do differently:
- Do more to soften the ground before launch.
- Have the developer as part of the process instead of in the background.
I want to keep hammering away at the 3d design software nut. But first, a breather, a book launch, and another cool project in a totally different space.
Bike Techniques For Navigating Urban Terrain
Three minutes of a dude navigating urban terrain in ways you wouldn’t expect: