The Geek Church

Okay, I know that this headline promises a cheap 3D printer, and the Micro M3D is one. The problem is, you can’t buy it for it’s original $199 price right now.

You see, the M3D was put on Kickstarter and made its $50,000 goal in less than 15 minutes. I don’t know if that is a Kickstarter record, but that is really frickin’ fast. I guess people liked the idea of $199 early bird special printers.

This printer is about 7 inches tall and it works with specially designed Filament spools to print things with about 4.6 inches tall. I believe this could be the start of an awesome 3D printer revolution that I have been waiting to happen. I have been waiting for this to happen a long time.

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I think we all know that the age of 3-D printing is coming, but we all know that 3-D printing means nothing without some 3-D inspiration. I was thinking that we need some 3-D downloadable programs.

That, or you could get yourself a 3D scanner. I don’t really know if there is any companies that make 3D scanners, but there is a combination 3-D printer and scanner known as Zeus that will duplicate 3-D objects.

I suppose I should start by saying that the possibilities are limitless. Is it any wonder why this is named after the king of the Greek Gods? It has a 7-inch touchscreen for controlling the printing and scanning of your 3-D object.

Oh, this is wonderful! But it is sadly a Kickstarter project. That means you fund it, and you have to pay up $1,999 just to get your hands on one. If you wait, then you will have to pay $2,499 for it.

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I think we all have seen episodes of CSI where someone’s DNA can leave a vital clue that cracks a case, and we all know that our DNA tech isn’t nearly that efficient. I’m not certain that I am looking forward to the day when we can just take a piece of gum, fork, or anything else and come up with a perfect DNA replica. That sounds a little like Minority Report justice, but an artist named Heather Dewey-Hagborg has recently started a new exhibit called Stranger visions that harvests stray DNA.

Here is how it works: the artist collects the genetic material from public places and then analyzes it at a lab. After getting information like gender, ethnicity, and eye color, this data is fed into a custom computer program and then generates a 3D model of the face. A ZCorp 3D printer makes the head cast and then it looks like it is mounted on the wall like a hunting trophy. The guy in the middle looks like Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Well, this is definitely where art meets science, and it really gets you to thinking. I suppose we are really one step away from having our habits tracked, assuming we don’t put them on Facebook, Foursquare, and social networking.

I really think that we are in for an era of 3D printers. I really think that brick-and-mortar stores, as well as online stores, are going to face a decrease in profits after every household has a 3D printer.

Think about it. Just imagine an era where you don’t need to go to a hardware store to get a screw, but you can print off the part from the Internet. And, if you can’t find what you want to print on the World Wide Web, use the Go!Scan 3D.

You can watch the Go!Scan 3D in the video to see how it can take an ordinary object and digitize it in seconds. Then, you can use the CAD file and make a printout on a 3D printer, assuming that you have one.

Of course, this type of technology, is always expensive…at first. The Go!Scan 3D is about 25 thousand dollars, but someday, I would imagine a device like this will be as inexpensive as a digital camera.

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