I have not 3D-printed a Girlfriend yet, but these are just as cool.
I have been researching the 3D Printing world and advancements, and there are many objects that have been created that I never, ever, expected could be 3D Printed. Most of them, in fact, I have already printed myself, and they are actually working.
I compiled a list of the most interesting objects that I never expected could be 3D Printed. Most of them one could print at home, and they will still be functional.
Nerf Gun – 3d printable things
A 3D Printable Nerf Gun was actually one of the first 3D objects to be distributed through the Physibles Section in ThePirateBay a very long time ago. I was curious on the actual quality of the printed foam dart gun, but, according to the people who have actually printed and tested the gun, it is very well working, and shoots at a great distance.
The one fully 3D Printable model that I could find is the LF1 – Foam Dart Blaster (NERF Compatible) On Thingiverse.
Actual Gun – 3d printable things
Yes. As many know, there is an actual, fully working, kill-capable, 3D Printable Gun floating around the web. The object was even featured in an episode of the “Elementary” series, where the killer actually used such a gun (sorry for the spoilers). It is very intriguing how the design firm actually managed to contain the explosion of gunpowder using plastic, and that was the main obstacle, as one would imagine.
The gun was modeled by the Defense Distributed Corporation, and is compatible with certain types of ammunition. The barrel should be reprinted every other shot, but the whole gun takes just overnight to print.
I must warn, however, that the very existence of this file is controversial and it would not be advised to download and “test” the model yourselves. Saying that, I am not a lawyer and all I am advocating is my personal opinion regarding the use and existence of this weapon. You are free to do whatever you want with it.
Wrench – 3d printable things
A 3D Printing enthusiast by the name of Daniel Norée managed to design and upload to Thingiverse a fully working, print-in-place 3D Printable wrench. As with most tools on this list, ABS is the material of choice to make this due to its strength and durability. It can be printed in One piece! #3Dwrench
There are not many words that can be said. Simply try it yourselves, it is that easy. It is wonderful how Daniel managed to design a wrench that can handle large stresses, even though it is plastic. Print as many as you want.
Space Wrench – 3d printable things
This object has an interesting story behind it. To quote the official NASA download page:
“This isn’t the first 3D-printed object made in space, but it is the first created to meet the needs of an astronaut. When International Space Station Commander Barry Wilmore needed a wrench, NASA knew just what to do. They “e-mailed” him one. This is the first time an object has been designed on Earth and then transmitted to space for manufacture.”
Enough said. I tested it myself and I can say it is working and totally worth it. Go print it! Just follow the instructions of Barnacules’ video where he tries the very object, gives some printing tips, and goes in more depth about the capabilities of the wrench.
Shoes (Meant for Hacking) – 3d printable things
A Female Chinese hacker, known as SexyCyborg, designed and printed her own High Heels. Printing shoes and other fashion items is commonplace, but never again have I seen such a design and use of them. SexyCyborg’s story is an interesting one and everyone should check it out.
What is so special about these shoes is that they contain all sorts of secret compartments, meant for smuggling anything a hacker or intruder wants, like “a flash drive, wireless router, USB keystroke recorder, retractable Ethernet cable, rechargeable battery and basic lock pick”.
She has released the plans for the High Heels on Thingiverse, which can be found here.
Body Parts – 3d printable things
3D Printing body parts, such as functional hearts, may have been clichéd by now, but it is worth a mention right here as well.
Even if it is not possible for one to print live cells in his desktop 3D Printer, it is still remarkable how engineers have figured out how to translate genetic code to a 3D object that they can print. And when it is printed, it is almost ready to be transplanted and be operational.
Violins – 3d printable things
I always loved the delicacy and agility of violins. It is in fact my life’s side-goal to eventually learn how to play one. As such, I was astonished when I discovered that there was a wide arrange of 3D printable violins, electric or classical.
I never figured that Desktop 3D printing would match the sound and quality of handcrafter, costly, wooden violin. But there are so many instances of such violins floating around the web.
I could not select just one design to show, so instead I just linked the results Thingiverse has to offer. If you have the time and the skill to play the violin, try it for yourselves.
My Teacher – 3d printable things
Now this is the real shocker to me.
I and one other friend got our hands on an Xbox 360 Kinect, and a PC adaptor. We had heard tales of how one could use it to 3D scan anything he wished. And after some research, we found the whole method we had to follow.
We only had to use one program, Skanect, to do our work, and we have to say it worked splendid, but you have to buy the full version to get the full potential of the program and export at reasonable quality (free version can export up to 5000 faces, which is ridiculously low).
Sure enough, we would be in school, walking around with a laptop, a Kinect, and a lot of wiring between them, asking people if we could scan them. Paradoxically, even though we thought we would sound like perverts (and we mostly did), some people, boys and girls, agreed to be scanned.
Our highlight was when a teacher agreed to be scanned, and ended up to be the best scan he had yet. So after I edited the resulting mesh a bit, he was ready to be printed. And yes, now we have our teacher 3D Printed and distributing him all around school, under his permission.
However, we do not have permission to send his mini-me all over the internet, sorry if you were waiting for it.
