3D printing holds the promise of allowing people to take something they envision and turn it into a tangible object, whether as a prototype for a design or as something that can be useful in and of itself. The biggest problem today is logistics. Despite a low demand for 3D printing, availability is even lower, making the queues for 3D printers at schools and companies long.
As the demand goes up, there will need to be a better solution than having a university 3D printing lab trying to keep up. The guys at Dreambox think they have a solution. What if all you had to do was build a design or pick one out of a library, push print, and get a text message when it comes time to pick up your creation? It’s not quite as quick as picking up a movie from a Redbox, but it’s the same basic principle.
The Dreambox team of David Pastewka, Richard Berwick, and Will Drevno hope to build just that. Through funding and support from Skydeck Berkeley, they have a working prototype and are hoping to release the first commercial public Dreambox at U.C. Berkeley this year.
With researchers and designers already using 3D printing regularly and a growing desire by the public to put their own creativity to work with a 3D printer, this concept seems to be heading down the right road to success. Here’s a demonstration.
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