3d Printing & Gun Legislation

"We must always exert the full strength of our imagination to examine where the full use of our new modalities may lead us." – Norbert Weiner (1894 – 1964) Father of cybernetics and inventor of the first radar controlled anti-aircraft gun. 

The relationship between the consumer and the manufacturer is changing much faster than most realize. As we breathlessly, rapturously and (often) unquestioningly welcome technology into our lives, you have to wonder what role it should play in our discussions and debates about the the Second Amendment. At what point do we risk losing a shared understanding of what's really possible. Not only is it possible to print gun parts and easily share the design files, DIYers can also build the 3d printer at home.


Donation Box / Prototype

This is a quick prototype of the donation mechanism that will live next to my multi-touch table. This is where participants drop their donations when they engage with the test. The servo is a little jittery at the moment but this prototype is helping me work out some of the final design and engineering issues. I wired a rotary knob and a reset button so I can control the movements during testing. The final version will be controlled by the multi-touch table and a signal will be sent to the donation box to tilt the floor according to the outcome of the game. I'm planning to have all of the pieces laser cut so everything should move as smooth as silk when finished. The donation box will be divided down the middle – if you win, the floor of the donation box will tilt to drop your money into the “matched donations” side of the canister and if you lose, the floor will drop your money into the “unmatched donations” side.

3D Printing & Haptic Interaction

During a recent workshop session at Parsons, I had an opportunity to use a Sensable haptic device to "carve" a virtual cube. You use the haptic pen to interact with the virtual cube and it actually feels like you're touching a solid object. We're also using 3d software to model objects which can be printed on our 3D printers. The wrench (below) was created using 3d modeling software and "printed" as a single object – no assembly required. It's pretty easy to see where we're heading as this technology continues to get cheaper. [gallery]