I could probably build a 3D printer from scratch, controller, actuators, and all, and I still ask myself the "What is this thing good for?" question.
Okay, sarcasm aside, it looks like these things are finally starting to slowly crack the door open on the realm of real-world usability. This realization dawned on me when I figured that some parts of the quadcopter I've been toiling over in recent days, might as well be 3D printed: the battery holder, maybe the motor mounts, etc. Gimbal parts would be pretty easy too.
And it dawned on me again yesterday, during SpaceX's dog and pony show for the Dragon 2, when they showed the 3D printed rocket engines.
That's precisely what makes me so excited about them (and physical computing in general). The next Jobs/Woz team is working on that stuff right now and it seems as weird to the layperson as PCs did back when the Berkley Homebrew Club was doing its thing.
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this is pretty much how my conversations go when I tell people that I want to buy a 3d printer.
I could probably build a 3D printer from scratch, controller, actuators, and all, and I still ask myself the "What is this thing good for?" question.
Okay, sarcasm aside, it looks like these things are finally starting to slowly crack the door open on the realm of real-world usability. This realization dawned on me when I figured that some parts of the quadcopter I've been toiling over in recent days, might as well be 3D printed: the battery holder, maybe the motor mounts, etc. Gimbal parts would be pretty easy too.
And it dawned on me again yesterday, during SpaceX's dog and pony show for the Dragon 2, when they showed the 3D printed rocket engines.
That's precisely what makes me so excited about them (and physical computing in general). The next Jobs/Woz team is working on that stuff right now and it seems as weird to the layperson as PCs did back when the Berkley Homebrew Club was doing its thing.