Though colleges have found a number of uses for 3D printers, from creating toys and art to building models of molecules, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is among the first to make strides in making the mainstream 3D printing process more organic.
Earlier this year, MIT researchers successfully 3D printed using cellulose, an organic compound that researcher Sebastian Pattinson called “the most abundant organic polymer in the world.”
“It’s biodegradable and inexpensive. It’s used in many applications — for example, anywhere wood is used — because it’s mechanically pretty robust and chemically very versatile,” says Pattinson.
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Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
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Each Tuesday is EducationTuesday here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts about educators and all things STEM. Adafruit supports our educators and loves to spread the good word about educational STEM innovations!
This is what makes 3d printers great!