MIT Is Printing Furniture In Westworld-Like Gel Vats

26005e4f00970df2c8d870fd93388a090281c42d
Via Apartment Therapy:

Rapid Liquid Printing, a brand new “4-D printing” process created in collaboration between MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab and leading office furniture company Steelcase, pushes the boundaries of current 3-D printing technology by producing material that will grow and change on its own, according to a recent interview with Steelcase director of new business innovation Rob Poel.

F5ce2fd0cacfa8b3e98bf049190774f40e1b046f

Not unlike the ginormous vats of gelatinous white goo used in Westworld to create AI (which Steelcase is also toying with in collaboration with MIT and other labs), Rapid Liquid Printing uses a technique that injects liquefied rubber, foam, or plastic into a vat of gel, which provides structural support while the material hardens — like a massive candy mold.

The printing method allows for a large piece of furniture to be pulled, fully formed, from the gel within minutes. Or, as Fast Company put it: “Imagine that you could print a tabletop in a matter of minutes, faster than an IKEA product comes down the assembly line. What would that technology look like? And how would it change the processes of mass manufacturing furniture?”

See More


Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 38,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — New Products 11/15/2024 Featuring Adafruit bq25185 USB / DC / Solar Charger with 3.3V Buck Board! (Video)

Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: A New Arduino MicroPython Package Manager, How-Tos and Much More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

Adafruit IoT Monthly — The 2024 Recap Issue!

Maker Business – Adafruit Daily — Apple to build another chip at TSMC Arizona

Electronics – Adafruit Daily — SMT Tip – Stop moving around!

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !


No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.