We reached out to a handful of 3D printing pioneers and designers featured on the Adafruit blog this past year for their thoughts on the year-in-review — and what we have to look forward to for 3D printing in 2014!
Michael Weinberg is a Vice President at Public Knowledge, a digital advocacy group in Washington, DC. He is the author of “It Will Be Awesome If They Don’t Screw It Up: 3D Printing, Intellectual Property, and the Fight Over the Next Great Disruptive Technology” and “What’s the Deal with Copyright and 3D Printing?,” whitepapers that examine the intersection of 3D printing and intellectual property law. Although he is involved in a wide range of issues at Public Knowledge, he focuses primarily on copyright, issues before the FCC, and emerging technologies such as 3D printing and open source hardware.
Q: Top three printing moments from 2013?
My top favorite projects are Robohand and Easton LaChappelle’s prosthetic arm. They made it easy for me highlight the upside of 3D printing to lawmakers worried about printing guns.
Nervous System’s Kinematics app:
Nervous System’s Kinematics app helped me to start thinking about new ways to design 3D printed objects and expanded the horizon of what felt possible.
The Out of Hand exhibit at the Museum of Art and Design in New York was full of great 3D printed stuff but I loved it for giving me a chance to see all of the 3D printed stuff I had read about online in person.
Light Switch Lock by Yllonnoce:
Finally, I love this light switch lock by Yllonnoce on Thingiverse. After a day of troubleshooting a “broken” dishwasher, we discovered that a mostly-hidden power switch had been accidentally turned off (I have no idea why a dishwasher needs a light switch). This lock will prevent this from ever happening again.
Q: What’s a project you shared this year?
We had all of our summer law clerks choose something to print so they could learn a bit more about 3D printing. Here is Leigh Barnwell modelling thingsbyvali’s circle of life earrings.
Q: What are you most looking forward to for 3D Printing in 2014?
More materials coming out of more types of 3D printers. As 3D printing becomes more popular, it is drawing in people with all sorts of skills. It is fantastic to watch the “traditional” desktop printers become even more refined, but I am always impressed when someone rethinks the printer operation itself and/or finds a way to make a new material 3D printable.
