RepRap, created by scientists at the University of Bath in England, marks another step on the road to Von Neumann probes, self-assembling spacecraft spreading through the galaxy as vicarious colonial automata. This Replicating Rapid Prototyper is a printer that can build three-dimensional objects–including its own components. From the Register:
Although 3D printers aren’t a new concept, the team claims that RepRap is the first such machine able to ‘print’ itself. The researchers based RepRap on open source software and published tutorials online that describe the machine’s design process. Using its plans, the Bath University team claims a motivated amateur could build themselves a RepRap for around £300 (€380/$590).
Dr. Adrian Bowyer is lead boffin on this fantastic project, which he sees more practically as a kind of reasonably-priced universal fabricator for simple objects: “If the design of an existing object doesn’t quite suit their needs, [users] can easily redesign it on their PC and print that out. They can also print out extra RepRap printers to give to their friends.”
The Dyson is interested.
[Reprap via The Reg]
[cries of pure orgasmic joy]
Oh! Oh! Building one! Building one!!
I have never been so serious in my life.
this thing would be incredible to have =O want one!
RepRap is way cool. Also check out Fab@Home before you devote weeks of your life to building one.
I have no idea which is better for what purposes – I’m just saying investigating options is a good thing.
I don’t believe that it can replicate itself in any meaningful sense. As far as I know, it can just produce most of its structural components, leaving you to add a bunch of metal fixings and electronic parts if you actually want another working machine.
Each time one of these comes out, I think how cool it is, and then I think how little need I have for custom-made small plastic thingies. But now I realize there are at least two killer apps that could really launch these things, if they can get the materials right — one for each gender:
1. Shoes.
2. Legos.
Having talked to a few members of each demographic, both seem pretty excited about an open-source shoe/lego printer … if they can get the materials right.
You know, I always imagined Grey Goo to be much more granular than this.
I don’t believe that it can replicate itself in any meaningful sense.
I think it replicates itself in the *most* useful sense – it doesn’t bother with the parts which are already mass-produced and readily available at reasonable prices; it reproduces the custom pieces which would normally cost a very large amount of money.
#3 Wurp: Yeah, I’ve looked at Fab@home, and even though it’s cheaper than a commercial unit, $2200+ is too rich for my blood to be building it at home. They definitely look sturdier and better built that the reprap though. But, the reprap can make replacement parts for itself, that’s a huge plus as well.
It’s kind of amazing the difference in the comments on BBG and the standard BB.