MakerBot Industries

We recently had the honor of scanning the amazing Laurie Anderson.  If you’re not familiar with her work, it’s mesmerizing stuff and you should really run out and get a few copies of her newest album, Homeland, as well as her 1982 classic Big Science.

Laurie is also a long-time maker; she’s made a number of experimental musical instruments over the years, including the famous tape-bow violin. Her work has always pushed the limits of technology, especially when it comes to manipulating the human voice, something she’s mastered to great dramatic effect.

It’s a real honor to host her likeness on Thingiverse; I plan to print out her bust and set it right next to my audio workstation as a source of inspiration.  I suspect I won’t be the only one to do so.

Laurie Anderson by Friends

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_anderson

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Karakuri is the ancient Japanese practice of creating incredibly intricate automata using weights, pulleys, and wires.  The video above features some of these robots rowing boats, shooting arrows, turning somersaults, and practicing calligraphy.  Think back to the amusement park rides of the 1960′s – with the exception of a recorded song, those little robots were also completely operated by weights, pulleys, and wires too.

The amazing thing about 3D printing is it enables everyone to create works every bit as intricate and complicated as these little robots.  Now anyone can focus on purpose and design rather than technique.  If a handcrafted robot can select an arrow, draw it back on a bowstring, and fire accurately at a target – there’s no reason you couldn’t do the same thing using 3D printed plastic parts too.  The real question isn’t whether we could reproduce these kinds of actions using 3D printed parts, but rather what could we create with printed parts that would have been difficult or even impossible using these ancient means?

Via Make