It may seem far-fetched now, but we think that one day we will all have 3D printers in our homes. It’ll seem just as normal as having a frying pan or a couch.
Hear us out; we promise we aren’t off our rockers!
We work with 3D printers every day and they never fail to impress us with just how cool they are. You can do so many amazing things with 3D design and they are becoming more advanced and more accessible.
In fact, around the world 3D design and printing technology is being used for some truly amazing and revolutionary stuff! We love to use these as examples whenever we work with students to show them just how far they can take the skills they are learning and how they can use STEM skills to make the world a better (and cooler!) place.
Here are our top 3 coolest uses for 3D design!
- 3D Printed House
I mean, look at that house? Not only does it look so cool but it only took 24 hours to build! This is a great way to show people that 3D printers come in all shapes and sizes and even print with a huge variety of materials. Plus, think of how this could revolutionize the housing industry and even provide new opportunities to deal with important social issues like homelessness. The possibilities are endless!
- 3D Printed Food
You heard us! You can design and print your own food! Sounds crazy, but it’s true. From your basic pancake printer to the plans from NASA to introduce 3D printed food in space, this is a whole new way to think about art and creativity in STEM! But now we’re craving some 3D printed pizza….
- 3D Printed Body parts
The future really is now. We’re not even talking about bionic body parts (although that’s also something being done with 3D printing), we’re talking about real, functional body parts. Bone, muscle, cartilage, and even organs are currently being studied and experimented by scientists around the world. Rather than using plastic filament, human cells are the printing material of choice! This is set to revolutionize how we approach health and medicine for some of our most vulnerable patients.
The things we can do with technology never fail to amaze us. 3D printing is not only cool, but it’s also a game-changing innovation that can be harnessed to tackle all kinds of global problems. What else do you see 3D printing technology going? Let us know in the comments below!