Rapid Ready Roundup: State of the Union, DNA, Autodesk and A Game of Thrones

In the course of my diligent efforts to keep you good people up to date on the state of additive manufacturing (AM), I come across many interesting news items. I’ll gather them up every so often and present them in a Rapid Ready Roundup (like this one). You can find the last Roundup here.

We’ll begin today’s Roundup with some presidential enthusiasm. With NAMII up and running, President Obama is eager to continue pursuit of his vision for manufacturing innovation. In his 2013 State of the Union address, AM was part of the program, and the attention caused a boost to 3D printer manufacturer’s stock.

This is what the president had to say:

Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. There’s no reason this can’t happen in other towns. So tonight, I’m announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the Departments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I ask this Congress to help create a network of fifteen of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is Made in America.

Next, let’s have a look at something that might have come directly from the set of the TV show Bones. Heather Dewey-Hagborg is using DNA gathered from trash, such as gum, to generate computer images of the owner’s appearance. Dewey-Hagborg then uses a 3D printer to build a bust using the data as part of her Stranger Visions art project. The chances of an accurate reconstruction are slim, however, so paranoia about DNA likeness theft doesn’t need to start just yet.

Moving on, Autodesk has released a new iPad app that gives users the chance to build their very own monster. 123D Creature is all you need to get the mad scientist juice flowing. The new app uses tools from 123D Sculpt to allow folks to build critters in a similar manner to the creation process from the Spore video game. Once your personalized monster is complete, the design can be sent off to Sculpteo for printing and delivery.

“With our 123D family of apps, we strive to put powerful 3D technology into the hands of anyone who wants to be creative, and we look forward to seeing the original creatures people will create and share with the community,” said Samir Hanna, vice president of Consumer Products at Autodesk. “Now, for the first time, 123D Creature makes it easy for anyone to create a sophisticated creature on an iPad, and then have a 3D print delivered to their doorstep with a few swipes of their finger.”

Last, I could say winter is coming, but it’s kind of been here for a while. Excitement is growing for HBO’s Game of Thrones series to continue, and fans of the show can now own their own small piece of Winterfell. Thingiverse user damm301 has created a model of the city as seen in the intro to the hit show. Measuring under 10 in² in size, the model might give owners an idea of how Winterfell might look through the eyes of a crow.

Below you’ll find a couple of videos. The first is a clip of the Winterfell model, and the second is the launch video for 123D Creature.

Sources: Engadget, The White House, Thingiverse, TechHive