Robot hands. There was I time I wish I had a lab with robot hands hanging from the ceiling and the constant hum of industrial machining all around. Who am I kidding. I still wish that. The team at RightHand Robotics has a lab. They’ve got the robot hand making process down too; a process using 3D printing that helps them iterate and produce prototypes and production parts extremely fast. Companies like RightHand Robotics are not convinced that product design ends when production begins. They use rapid prototyping with desktop 3D printing to make continuous improvements to their products throughout the production process. Formlabs interviewed the RightHand Labs team at…

In the past year MakerOS has grown significantly and upgraded their system. We detailed the MakerOS service about a year ago and explained how it works. To recap, it is a service that provides highly necessary management functions to a company (or individual) providing 3D print services to clients. Using MakerOS you can create and track projects with clients, store and manage project files, invoice clients, view and fix 3D files, integrate with common messaging systems, product reports, integrate with banking and financial services and much more. It’s essentially a full toolkit for managing a 3D design and print business. Over the past year it seems that MakerOS has remade their…

While some may believe that the iPhone 7 is a modern day marvel of design and engineering, others loathe the rounded corners and other slippery design details. Among others who think they can do a better job at designing the iPhone is YouTuber PeripateticPandas. Using an industrial saw and belt sander, the gutsy engineer recently decided to take matters into his own hands and shave the rounded edges off of his brand new iPhone 7. “I’ve been waiting for the next iconic design since the release of the iPhone 5,” he explains. “But I’m finally done waiting.” What happens next, we don’t recommend doing to your precious phone unless you’re…

Where to even begin with this one? Well, we can start by saying this is one of the most killer bundles we’ve ever seen. From building your own 3D printer to designing, coding and building your own wearables using Arduino, this DIY Hardware & Internet of Things eBook Bundle belongs in the digital library of every designer and engineer –– if only because you can freakin’ pay whatever you want for it even though it’s worth a total of $340. So while you may not necessarily jump into building your first interactive touchscreen mirror immediately after buying the bundle, these books are certainly what you’d want to have around when…

Here it is October and you haven’t put any thought into a public display of your talent and creativity for that one day a year where dressing a baby like a taco is perfectly fine. FOR SHAME. You’re a creative person. This should be easy. Here are some ideas: a Minotaur with a cupcake addiction, A walking collage of deer antlers, an Ewok with butterfly wings, or a headless guy carrying a body in a box. If none of those work for you, or you’re pressed for time, Stephen Kongsle has a model you can quickly print, paint and strap to your gnoggin–bugging eyeballs–and they’re a thing of beauty. The…

A great pleasure of mine is enjoying an overpriced hot caffeinated beverage while having esoteric conversations about design around like minded individuals. We rhapsodize about the coolest things we have designed, the crazy hours, and hurdles we overcame. We debate the merits and pitfalls (usually pitfalls) of different 3D printers and CAD packages. And, of course, discuss our approach to, and philosophies on, prototyping. But none of that is prototyping. Prototyping is about action. Prototyping is rolling up your sleeves, finding where the rubber meets the road, moving the ball forward, removing vowels for apostrophes and gittin’ ‘r dun. Do you know what time it is? That’s right, it’s business…