CNC Homes

Behrokh Khoshnevis, a professor from the University of Southern California and CEO of ContourCrafting, recently presented a TED talk about how giant CNC machines could 3D print homes quickly, cost-effectively, and efficiently.  One of the most amazing implications of such a CNC system – extruding the infrastructure for a home – is that much of the most dangerous work involved in construction could be completely eliminated.

Just as with printing smaller plastic objects on a 3D printer, once you start using a CNC machine like a MakerBot to create an object – the complexity of the infrastructure becomes almost irrelevant.  While it might be much more work for humans to construct a circular, curvy, or angular building – such complexities are reduced to a mere toolpath when handed off to a giant printer.

Hat tip to Techpp.com for the link!

We just brought the MakerBot Mixtape to a whole new level by releasing the negative file for the Mixtape audio component on Thingiverse! This means that with some skillful boolean operations in a 3D modeling program you’ll be able to make anything on Thingiverse into a Mixtape. If that’s not awesome then I don’t know what is.

We also put together a nice little video that features the creators of the Mixtape – John Briscella and Matt Kroner – to tell you a bit about how it works and how to assemble one. The MakerBot Mixtape was a collaboration that we did with Playbutton. Make sure you read the special little interview that The Creators Project, a wonderful forum for technology and art founded by Vice and Intel, did with our boys this week too.

And if you haven’t seen the video that we did to launch the Mixtape make sure you watch that as well. It’s kind of the most adorable thing ever.

Briscella has already put up a couple of new Mixtape ideas like the Beethoven Mixtape and the Heart Mixtape. I’ve been rocking the hell out of a stellar pink heart mixtape with acid blue buttons and it blows minds left and right.

And now what I want to know is – what Mixtape will YOU make!

Untitled by MakerBot

This thing brought to you by

Untitled by MakerBot

This thing brought to you by

Untitled by MakerBot

This thing brought to you by