It’s not very often when a new tool comes along that changes the way we think about making things, but when it does, it’s usually pretty epic. The Shaper Origin is one of those tools. Billed as the World’s First Handheld CNC, the Shaper Origin –– which, as you might expect, looks similar to a handheld router on steroids –– uses augmented reality and an “autocorrect” interface to trace pre-determined shapes with a drill bit from a wide range of materials. Cheaper than most traditional CNC machines and many desktop 3D printers –– $1499 for pre-orders –– the Origin makes use of the company’s own ShaperTape dotted markings to map…

There have been many aborted attempts at producing recycled 3D printer filament, but Reflow’s approach appears to be successful. In the past I’ve seen many attempts at producing desktop machines that recycle plastic into 3D printer filament. Typically the concept is to collect leftover prints or plastic, grind it up into fragments and remelt them into filament, but by and large, these ventures have been entirely unsuccessful for a variety of important reasons: The quality of the input plastic is questionable, unpredictable, contaminated, multicolored and inconsistent The input material can be different types of plastic that cannot be mixed into a proper filament Output filament quality had no means for…

It’s no secret that assembling the dozens –– or hundreds –– of parts that make up a consumer electronic product assembly is both costly and time-intensive. But what if said electronics could –– gosh darn it –– just assemble themselves? What better things have they got going on? Such is the premise behind the latest project to come out of MIT’s Self-Assembly research lab: The Self-Assembling Cell Phone. Led by “4D Printing” pioneer Skyler Tibbits –– who also heads up the Self-Assembly Lab –– the project explores how components of a consumer electronic device can be assembled intelligently via an external stimulus. In this case, it’s a tumbler that bounces the parts…

Long before Apple’s aluminum unibody hardware designs –– along with Jony Ive’s unmistakeable “aluminium” pronunciation –– aluminum had already changed the world of mass manufacturing. Having dropped in price by over 1200% over a 50-year stretch, what was once one of the most difficult metals to refine became one of the cheapest thanks to mass manufacturing developments in the 1880s. Heck, aluminum was even single-handedly responsible for changing the world of air travel as we know it today. In this video released yesterday from the chaps over at Real Engineering, we get a six-minute breakdown of how aluminum has changed the world forever: https://youtu.be/yn9qhQSMCRk

Whether you’re a seasoned Arduino developer or an Arduino beginner, there’s always something new to be learned with the versatile open-source hardware development kit. Whether it’s a prototype for a wearable design or even controlling your garage door via a Twitter feed, the possibilities of what can be done with Arduino are seemingly endless. For those looking to expand their Arduino capabilities, this Master collection of Arduino E-Books is the perfect companion for deep-diving into new avenues of the open-source platform including developing products for the Internet of Things, mastering the art of a well-designed wearable and how to best implement Arduino with iOS and Android devices, among others –––…

The thought put into speaker design is astounding. It nearly makes me forget all about the chipper/shredder sound emanating from my car speakers. We’ve admired Portland-based Grovemade design for a while. They have an awesome habit of showing what goes on behind the design. We highly recommend following their journal (and taking note if you’re a designers/studio). Their latest entries tell the tale of the Grovemade Speaker & Amp. They teamed up with industrial designer, Joey Roth to make something that’s just unabashedly beautiful with a mix of CNC machining and handcraftmanship that makes us drool ever so slightly. The speakers are a fully analog system made from domestically sourced…