3d

A Texas man has become the first person to successfully fire a real bullet from a gun created on a home 3D printer. Sound crazy? In fact, the blueprint for the pistol is available for free online for anyone to access. And it's legal.

University of Texas law student Cody Wilson, 25, released a video of a 3D-printed gun named the "Liberator" taking test shots over the weekend. The gun is mostly made of plastic, with the exception of two metal pieces: a metal firing pin and a 6-ounce piece of steel that's required by law under the Undetectable Firearms Act. Of course, the piece of steel that makes the weapon visible to metal detectors, and legal, can certainly be omitted by future hobbyists.

Wilson invited Forbes reporter Andy Greenberg to witness the trial. Greenberg reports that 15 of the gun's 16 pieces were printed by a Stratasys Dimension SST 3D printer -- the metal firing pin is the 16th piece. … Read more

3D printers have typically been sold directly from their makers or through online hobby shops. Today they get wider consumer exposure with Staples' announcement that it will begin selling the new 3D Systems Cube 3D printer.

3D Systems, the world's largest and oldest 3D printer manufacturer, launched an earlier version of the Cube last year. This new model, announced at this year's CES, prints objects made from one of two different kinds of plastic feedstock, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) or PLA (polylactic acid). 3D Systems has previously sold the Cube through its own Web site, as well as … Read more

Many believe that the future of printing is in 3D, which enables companies and even novices to design whatever they want and "print" it into a real-world device.

Now, a group has a proof-of-concept that such a dream could be a reality. Only this device is a gun.

Defense Distributed, a Texas-based group working toward nonprofit status, has given Forbes images of what is being called the world's first 3D-printed handgun. The gun is capable of firing standard handgun rounds and is made entirely of plastic, except for a nail that's being used as a firing … Read more

Using off-the-shelf 3D printing tools, silver nanoparticles, and cell culture, scientists at Princeton University have created a functional bionic ear that can detect radio frequencies far beyond the normal human range.

Living, 3D-printed tissue has been in the news a fair bit recently, but this is the first attempt at creating a fully functional organ with embedded electronics.

"In general, there are mechanical and thermal challenges with interfacing electronic materials with biological materials," said Michael McAlpine, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton and the lead researcher on the project. "Previously, researchers have suggested some strategies to tailor the electronics so that this merger is less awkward. That typically happens between a 2D sheet of electronics and a surface of the tissue. However, our work suggests a new approach -- to build and grow the biology up with the electronics synergistically and in a 3D interwoven format." … Read more

The Nintendo 3DS has already been through a lot. The first-ever glasses-less 3D portable console didn't have the most glamorous of launches when it hit the market more than two years ago. Tainted by an underwhelming batch of debut software, controversial 3D effect, and a disappointing battery life, the 3DS didn't have a whole lot going for it out of the gate.

If that wasn't enough of a burden, the 3DS was also forced to follow up the original DS, a predecessor that is approaching worldwide sales of 154 million units combined. It's the best-selling portable console of all time.

But in the 25 months since its release, the 3DS has made significant strides. A focus on the platform's online store and a hardware refresh with a much bigger screen and better battery have begun to right the ship. Most importantly, a bevy of compelling software has been made available -- though some have criticized the company's continual recycling of classic games. … Read more

NEW YORK -- Looking at the diagram in front of me, which shows a pile of random things jumbled together, I can't help but think that I'm looking at the aftermath of something like a hurricane or a flood.

Actually, however, this is optimized organization of the highest order. It's a chart showing the dozens of item that will emerge in a little while from the 3D printer I'm standing next to.

Here at the Shapeways production facility in Queens, nine high-end 3D printers chug along continuously, churning out hundreds, or even thousands, of individual products … Read more

Alexander Graham Bell is known for inventing the telephone; but for someone so associated with sound, it's curious that no one living has actually ever heard the tenor of his voice.

However, as of Wednesday, anyone can hear what he sounded like. New technology has brought a 128-year-old recording made by Bell back to life, according to Smithsonian magazine.

The artifact, a wax and cardboard disc, has most likely been unplayable for at least a century. According to Smithsonian, Bell worked on several different ways to record sound, including using foil, wax, glass, paper, plaster, metal, and cardboard. Not … Read more

NEW YORK--For months, a debate has raged in the media and on Capitol Hill about whether or not society (and the law) should allow 3D-printed guns.

After listening to Cody Wilson speak for a few minutes, one can't help but come away feeling that the national discussion is moot: 3D-printed firearms are inevitable.

Today at the Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo, Wilson, the founder and director of Defense Distributed, argued for an environment in which people can use 3D printers to make guns.

It's not that he doesn't recognize -- or care -- that there's … Read more