1- 3D Printing Helps Those With Sleep Apnea
Australian dental company Oventus, together with CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization), have teamed up with 3D printing technology to create a 3D printed device that could possibly put an end to the suffering for thousands of people with sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea occurs in nearly 5 percent of the world’s population. It happens when the air passage becomes blocked and causes one to stop breathing in their sleep. In the more severe cases, the patient will stop breathing hundreds of times per night, raising the risk of high blood pressure and even heart attacks.
The 3D printed device allows air to continue to flow to the back of the throat. The device is shaped like a duckbill and extends from the mouth like a whistle while resting on the patient’s teeth. While it may look unusual, it offers great benefits for those suffering from sleep apnea. Thanks to 3D printing technology, the device is able to be customized for each patient using scans of their mouth, thus making it even more comfortable.
When a patient suffering from sleep apnea visits the dentist, a scan of their mouth will be taken. That information is then paired up with the device files to make a 3D printed model of the mouthpiece.
The device is better than other products that are currently on the market, since it is tailored to the individual’s mouth. It sits on top of the teeth which makes it comfortable.
The mouthpiece is expected to be available next year.
SOURCE: 3DPRINTER
2- 3D Printing Makeup
3D printing has been used for a wide range of different products and now it seems to be making its way into the cosmetics sector as well.
The “Mink” is a desktop printer that is designed to print makeup of any kind, in any color. The printer allows users to choose any color off the web or in the real world, and use a color picker to locate the hex code of the color. Users then put the code into Photoshop and press print. According to Techcrunch, blush, eye shadow, and any other type of makeup can be printed this way.
Mink Founder Grace Choi says that the ingredients in the makeup that the Mink prints are comparable to makeup already on the market –yet the 3D printed makeup allows instant customization, and is more affordable too. Choi also notes that while consumers are sometimes loyal or partial to certain brands, they are more focused on convenience and 3D printed makeup is convenient.
It also allows anyone with a need for a unique and uncommon color to create their own custom shade, something that can’t be found in common drugstore makeup where the selection is somewhat limited. High-end shops offer more colors and products but they charge more.
With Mink and the products offered by the 3D printer, users have the ability for instant gratification when it comes to makeup. Just choose the color you want, find the code, and press print. While the company plans to target younger consumers (ages 13-21), they are also open and plan to offer products for those who are older as well.
Set to launch later this year, the Mink is expected to retail between \$200 and \$300. However interesting the concept, it will be interesting to see if consumers are willing to pay the initial expense for a custom makeup printing machine when a one-time tub of your favorite cosmetic is likely available at a small fraction of the cost.
SOURCE: 3DPRINTER
3- Microsoft 3D Scan Project to Enable Users to Create 3D Models
Microsoft researchers have announced their latest research project, which will enable users to turn everyday objects into 3D models using their phones.
The software would enable Windows phone users to use what they call “Skynet UI” to scan physical objects and transform them into 3D models. The process was revealed late last year but has since become simpler to navigate and easier for everyday consumers to use.
Last year when the process was revealed, the 3D reconstruction process was being created to allow users to create and recreate 3D images. But as research has advanced, along with technology, so has the process of creating 3D models.
With “3D reconstruction” combined with the Skynet UI feature, the process has been made simpler. Microsoft adds that the Skynet UI design aims to enhance user experience and lower the barriers between customers and the 3D reconstruction process. It allows for a user to scan an object and the program on the camera will gives cues of when and where to move the camera. The image can then be sent to a 3D printer.
The three research scientists behind the project, Jiawei Gu, Rishard Cai, and Zhiwei Li, have shared their work online, demonstrating how the process will work. Using a Windows phone handset, you can simply take a 360-degree photo using the program the camera gives you.
The combined process allows you to make a high-quality 3D scan of a face that can ultimately be turned into a 3D printed model if you so desire.
SOURCE: 3DPRINTER
4- UK kids to be taught 3D printing and robotics from age of 5
The new curriculum in UK, which will be announced this week, will give pupils the skills to design and make their own products.
An earlier draft of the document was criticized by a few people, including Sir James Dyson, the inventor that it had placed too much emphasis on "life skills" such as cooking, flower arranging, bicycle maintenance and sewing.
The new curriculum, will teach kids to learn engineering using cutting-edge equipment, including 3D printers, laser cutters and robotics. It will also include lessons in programming micro-processor chips.
Between the ages of five and seven, kids will be taught to use a range of tools and equipment to build structures, exploring how to make them stronger, stiffer and more stable.
7- to 11-year-old pupils will be introduced to use electrical systems in their products, such as series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors, and they are expected to apply their understanding of computing to programme, monitor and control their products.
At secondary school, pupils will be taught to develop and communicate design ideas using annotated sketches, detailed plans, 3-D and mathematical modelling, oral and digital presentations and computer-based tools.
According to the Royal Academy of Engineering report, the UK needs to educate at least an extra 10,000 science graduates a year just to maintain its current industrial position.
Sir James Dyson said: "The revised curriculum will give young people a practical understanding of science and mathematics."
A senior Whitehall source said: "Pupils will learn computer-aided design and electronics. 3D printers will become standard in our schools - a technology that is transforming manufacturing and the economy.
"Combined with the introduction of programming, it is a big step forward from Labour's dumbed down curriculum."
SOURCE: 3DPRINTER
5- 3D Printed Shark Skin Allows Scientists to Study Sharks’ Secret for Speed
Harvard scientists have recreated shark skin, and in the process have discovered that the structure of the skin can actually increase shark swimming speeds by 6.6 percent.
If you were to ever get up close to a shark, you would see that its skin is covered with millions of tiny tooth-like scales, known as denticles. The denticles allow the shark to travel at faster speeds by disrupting the flow of smooth water that holds them back. The process is similar to the dimples on a golf ball, which allow it to travel faster and further.
Scientists don’t know exactly how this process happens, but George Lauder from Harvard University and his colleges were determined to find out and decided to try to create artificial shark skin.
Until recently, the denticles on a shark’s skin have been too difficult to recreate. Until 3D printing, that is. Lauder and his team used the skin from a mako shark and used a combination of 3D scanning and 3D printing to create the artificial skin.
The challenge came when the scientists tried to manufacture the synthetic skin – with thousands of denticles to imitate the skin of a shark. The whole process took around a year and involved testing different materials, printing prototypes, and adjusting the denticles.
The artificial skin impressed Oliver Crimmen, a fish expert at the Natural History Museum. The team tested the 3D printed shark skin by putting it on a small flexible paddle and was able to see the benefits that sharks get from their unique scales. The paddle with the shark skin improved swimming speed by 6.6 percent, using 5.9 percent less energy when compared with a paddle with a smooth surface.
“That’s a huge effect, when factored over the entire lifetime of an animal that is constantly swimming,” said Prof Lauder.
However, Lauder says not to expect the shark skin to be on swimming clothes in the immediate future. While it improves your swimming performance, the process that is required to recreate the skin is so time consuming that it may be years before we start to see shark skin flippers and swimming gear.
SOURCE: 3DERS
