Thanks to fellow dorkbotDC-er Carl Leonard, we have a whole video podcast on DIY rapid prototyping and related technologies. It is a fantastic compliment to the upcoming Build-a-thon. See the video here. This is an episode of the fantastic Robotcast video blog series, every episode of which is packed with robotic goodness! Well worth checking out for interesting points of view on a range of robotics topics!
Open invitation to anyone interested in rapid prototyping! HacDC is holding a free RepRap Build-a-Thon at HacDC this weekend, Saturday and
Sunday, starting at 10:00am. It is located at the HacDC world headquarters at 1525 Newton St NW in Washington DC (Near corner of 16th and Newton NW).
Attendees will participate in the construction and use of a remarkable open source tool, the “Replicating Rapid Prototyper” or RepRap. Anyone can make a RepRap machine, using parts made by another person with a similar machine, and a few additional parts that can be found online or from a local hardware store. RepRap is capable of making a nearly complete copy of itself, given a small amount of (possibly recycled) plastic. Once the machine is made, the user can download designs for other objects from the Internet or create their own designs, which can then be printed with the RepRap machine.
The two-day sessions will include talks by RepRap founders and pioneers, as well as demonstrations by local experimenters who have
built their own RepRaps and contributed to the development of the system. After the talks, the seminar participants will participate
in the construction of a RepRap from the ground up. Attendees will complete this process during the seminar, providing a great
opportunity for everyone to get some experience assembling and using a RepRap. Smaller breakout sessions on related topics, such as stepper
motor function, microcontroller programming and 3D modeling will be presented, in order to provide the attendees with the skills needed to
construct and use the RepRap system.
The agenda for the Build-a-thon is:
Saturday
Main Auditorium
10:00am Welcome and introductions
10:30am Plenary: “The RepRap Project” by Zach ‘Hoeken’ Smith,
Director, RepRap Research Foundation
11:15am RepRap Technology Overview from Local RepRap Builders
11:45am Activities Outline by R. Mark Adams
12:00pm Break for Lunch
1:00pm Build the Cartesian Robot with Zach ‘Hoeken’ Smith
HacDC Offices
1:00pm Assemble the RepRap Electronics
1:00pm Learn to Solder Breakout with MAKE:DC’s Adam Koeppel
2:00pm Arduino Basics Breakout with HacDC’s R. Mark Adams
3:00pm 3D Modeling for the RepRap with Balt/Wash RUG’s Brian Dolge
5:00pm Close for the day/adjourn to local restaurant for group dinner
Sunday
HacDC Offices
10:00am Complete Electronics Assembly
1:00pm Video Address by RepRap founder Adrian Bowyer, Senior
Lecturer at the University of Bath (invited)
2:00pm Assemble components and print a minimug!
3:00pm Meeting Close
The process of “desktop manufacturing” is coming of age- like the personal computer in the 1970s, such systems are either very expensive, or the purview of a few hobbyists in their garages. But like the personal computer before it, the desktop manufacturing revolution is breaking out. The RepRap, like other open-source projects such as the Linux operating system and the Firefox browser, is allowing anyone with the patience and interest to participate. HacDC and other organizations throughout the world want to see that this technology can be widely understood and utilized by the public. As a result, HacDC (along with other area technology groups such as B/WRUG, Make:DC and DC Dorkbot) are presenting this event, and making it free and open to the public.
The RepRap Project is an initiative aimed at creating a largely self-replicating machine which can be used for rapid prototyping and manufacturing. A rapid prototyper is a 3D printer that is able to fabricate three dimensional artifacts from a computer-based model. Project authors describe ‘self-replication’, understood as the ability to reproduce the components necessary to build another version of itself, as one of the goals for the project. This will allow the number of RepRaps to increase exponentially to meet demand. The authors further speculate that, due to the Open Source nature of the project, RepRap will eventually demonstrate evolution, improving and increasing its capabilities over time. This gives RepRap the potential to become a powerful disruptive technology, similar to the Internet, the home computer, and the automobile. For more information, see the RepRap website at: http://www.reprap.org
The interior of the Enormous Room (CC) davidesign
As promised, yet another entry on cool places for hackers to hang out in Cambridge. This time, the incomparable “Enormous Room” in Central Square, on Massachusetts Avenue about halfway between Harvard and MIT. Given the location, it is not surprising that a wide range of folks can be found at this cool and friendly place. You have to be clever to find it- it is on the second floor, and reached through a door marked only by an etched glass elephant. The low tables, and upholstered, “bleacher-style” seats make it a very comfortable place to chat with your friends, and later on, becomes home to live and DJ music. Once again, a place where you can overhear anything from MIT Media Lab conversations to discussions about quantitative finance…
Next stop, San Francisco!
A "Darwin" RepRap built from laser-cut acrylic
Join the HacDC and and the Baltimore/Maryland RepRap User’s Group (RUG) for a weekend of RepRap fun! Save the weekend of January 24/25 for our RepRap Build-a-Thon. Initial plans include a range of activities, including hands-on group construction a RepRap Darwin from the ground up starting with laser-cut acrylic parts. We are also planning on having several local RepRap builders on hand with their machines, and hopefully able to demonstrate them in operation, making stuff!
We would also like to invite some of the local technology media/blogosphere folks, and take the opportunity to not only demonstrate what these machines can do, but also to talk in general about the implications of readily-available (and self-replicating) rapid prototyping machines. Certainly a great opportunity to chat with some RepRap pioneers, have a chance to participate in a hands-on build, and to generally have a good time with some local hackers.
More information coming as the plans develop- watch this space! If you are interested in helping out, please let us know via the mailing list. If you have contacts in the local technology media, or know someone in the trade who would be interested in this kind of event, please let us know! See the movie post below for a time-compressed version of RepRap construction by one of the original designers- the time represented by the video is about four hours. Given enough participants, we should be able to do something similar in our two days!
Timelapse of Adrian assembling the first RepRap “Darwin” from Adrian Bowyer on Vimeo.
Interesting article over at the New Scientist about the possibility of using supersonic jet fighters to neutralize hurricanes. The concept depends on our understanding of hurricanes as delicately-balanced dynamic systems that depend on that balance for self-reinforcement and building strength. Apparently, the math supports the concept of interfering with this delicate balance using the sonic booms created by a pair of jet fighters weaving in and out of the storm. There are challenges, of course, such as the demands of long cruising at supersonic speeds, but overall the article posits a very interesting (and probably verifiable) theory that would be very interesting to test.
Fighter Jets Battle Hurricane
Therein lies the rub, however. The article is all about a patent. Yes, kids, a patent. I take this to mean that if someone wanted to try and stop a hurricane from ravaging the coastline of some hapless country, they would run the risk of getting sued by the patent holder unless the licensing fees were paid. This seems kind of crazy, especially since lives are potentially involved- are they really going to stop someone from saving lives with this approach? Sheesh.