Soon 3D printers will be such an every day item in our lives it will stop being the miraculous science fiction invention it is. With lowering prices and "ink" made from household plastic items humanity’s lifelong dream of never leaving the house will one day be realized. Here are some insane items that 3D printing have made possible.
8. Photo Booths That Make Miniature "You" Action Figures
Popping up all over Japan and soon to a mall near you (probably) there are 3D printing photo booths that can take your picture and produce tiny replicas of you. Finally you can play with yourself in public!
7. Gun Parts
Although the schematics have since been taken off of Thingiverse (the current largest online database for 3D printing designs) in the wake of the Newtown tragedy, functional guns have been made using printers. Realistic toy guns, however, can still be made. Behold, amendment debates of the future, today!
6. Cars
Gone will be the days of waiting weeks for a specific part for your car. Soon you will drive away day of and for a lot less. Fun trivia, a 3D printer was used in the recent Bond film, Skyfall, to create an exact model replica of his famous Aston Martin – just to blow up. I love when science and Myth Busters grow more and more indistinguishable from one another.
5. Mario
A man named Seigey designed his own 3D Mario, printed it out on his 3D printer, and then spent hours painting it. Although it isn't perfect, in the future we'll be able to make our own toys and action figues at home..
4. Other 3d Printers
In the technological equivalent of wishing for more wishes, 3D printers are able to self produce. Soon they will out produce us all.
3. Robot Friends
French sculptor Gael Langevin has made the open source plans for his robot available on Thingiverse. Well, the left and right arms are available now, but who doesn’t need a robot arm to do their dirty work? Heck, I have one doing my laundry right now. Yes, laundry and not high stakes backroom poker. Yesss.
2. A Bald Eagle’s Beak
Poor Beauty the bald eagle was shot in the face in 2005 by poachers leaving her beakless, defenseless and unable to feed herself. 6 years of development by scientists, engineers and even dentists, Beauty was given a prosthetic beak and can now be self-reliant. It’s a shame Michael Jackson didn’t live long enough for similar considerations.
1. Human Bones and Organs That Work
Inarguably the coolest application of 3D printing technology is in creating human tissue for transplants. Health care and transplant lists being what they are, this technology will very literally save lives. Bones have already been produced implanted in the jaw as well as realistic looking ears with the help of artificial and real stem cells. Below is a video of how similar technology will soon be used to make complex organs like the kidneys. Basically, you can do the YOLO guys. You can do the YOLO til the cows come home ya knuckleheads.
What would you use your 3D printer for? Let me know in the comments!
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter to get Charley schematics for your printer. Make sure you’re stocked with nachos for optimum functionality.
