With all of the excitement surrounding the release of Jurrasic World, it only makes sense to tie dinosaurs in with the latest and greatest technology.

What we mean by this is the innovation of 3D printing is now being mixed with a new study of the intelligence of the 66.4 million-year old Tyrannosaurus rex (T-rex).

To this day, many people still wonder why dinosaurs became extinct and obviously the answer to that question isn’t an easy one.

That’s why a German research team wanted to take their pre-historic research to a new level and study the qualities, characteristics and habits of these beasts.

So, the research team started off with one question, “How smart was a Tyrannosaurus rex, anyway?”

In order to even try to answer that question, the team turned their efforts to an actual T-rex skull fossil, which they then scanned and 3D printed for a Better Way to learn about the T-rex’s intelligence.

The skull fossil was scanned using a machine called an XXL tomograph. This machine is the largest in the world and is located at Germany’s Fraunhofer-Institut. Thanks to its 1,500 separate exposures, the machine has created what is thought to be “the highest resolution scan ever conducted on a T-rex skull.”

Though the researchers have the skull, they do not have the T-rex brain. However, the inside of the skull’s shape reveals the highly-developed brain areas.

By studying these areas, researchers will be able to uncover information like whether the T-rex had poor eyesight, among other qualities.

Furthermore, the scan also helps in the efforts to restore the skull.

Thanks to the ability to conduct a complete scan of the skull, the research team has been able to uncover fractures and reconstruct the missing parts of the jaw.

The technology of 3D printing has enabled the team to customize replacement jaw parts in order to complete the skull.

As of right now, the jury is still out regarding the overall qualities and intelligence of the T-rex.

Copyright Davison, 2015

Sources:

http://3dprint.com/75016/t-rex-3d-print/

Media:

http://3dprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/t11.png

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Imagine this; you are sitting in a room with a NeuroSky electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor pressing against your temple and forehead. Across from you is a TV screen that is showing abstract shapes as they swell and mutate in 4K resolution.

All the while you are sitting there, a computer is measuring your brain activity and mapping it as a 3D model. Initially, the model looks a lot like a piece of paper with a flat surface. However, that doesn’t last long because as soon as your brainwaves register a sense of concentration, a dimple appears on the surface. Next, when feeling a sense of calmness, the surface is pushed upward into a peak. Since emotions can’t be measured, intensities are used instead.

This is just the first step in artist Ion Popian’s art project, Mental Fabrications that turns brain maps into 3D objects.

The maps are edited in a 3D modeling program where Popian and his programmer, Thomas Martinez, convert the data into a smooth, rippling landscape that is then 3D-printed. Once it’s printed, it essentially creates a tangible model of your mind. So, in essence, your mind is a piece of art.

Popian wants to turn the models into something that is more three-dimensional by morphing them into free-standing figures rather than the rolling planes.

This innovative usage of 3D technology shows that even art has the capability to find solutions to common problems. The problem at hand, as described by Popian, is that in architecture, emotion doesn’t usually factor in to how a structure is designed. Popian also says, “Architecture has a visual impact on whoever occupies it, which produces emotion.” The EEG technology could potentially affect how buildings in the future are designed. Because, as he explains,  if the subconscious relationships of people as they experience spaces like a hospital or airport are mapped, then there is the chance that architecture could be designed in order to be responsive to them.

Without further ado, here is a video of this innovative invention at work!

Copyright Davison 2014

Sources:

http://mashable.com/2014/04/03/3d-printing-brain-scans/

Media:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/12/5496656/mental-fabrications-3d-printed-brain-scans-art

The post This Invention Will Take your Thoughts to Another Dimension appeared first on Davison.

This year marked the 21^st annual SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. This popular festival has become a common ground to preview the newest technology of today and tomorrow.

One piece of technology in particular caught the attention of our eyes and stomachs. This wasn’t your average cookie-cutter invention. The invention that we are talking about is the Oreo Trending Vending Machine, a delicious Oreo and social media experience wrapped into one? Can you believe it?

The machine allowed SXSW attendees the opportunity to create custom, edible Oreo cookies that were based on trending social conversations.

The users were able to choose from 12 flavors and colors of the delicious crème center, depending on what was trending on the social platform. So, how did this machine work? Users could thank 3D technology! The machine assembled the unique cookie in less than two minutes.

Mondelez International teamed up with Twitter in order to create the 3D printed Oreos. The marketing effort for this invention included the hashtag of #eatthetweet.

Let’s take a look at the Oreo Trending Vending  Machine in use!

After seeing this invention, we think that it’s safe to say that social media never tasted so sweet!

Copyright Davison 2014

Sources:

• Wtsp.com
• Adweek.com

The post This isn’t your Cookie Cutter Invention appeared first on Davison.

Industry giants like Nike and New Balance have translated the advancements of 3D printed technology into the world of apparel, specifically, for professional athletes.

These 3D printed shoes use the up-and-coming invention to create lightweight shoes that, in essence, mold to the athlete’s feet, thus increasing their speed and performance.

So how are 3D printed shoes different than regular shoes? Let’s take a look at both Nike and New Balance 3D shoes and how they claim to enhance the athlete’s performance.

Nike 3D printed athletic cleat- Weighing in at just 5.5 ounces, the Nike Vapor Laser Talon was specifically invented and designed for gripping the football field turf, in order to help American football players excel in the highly important, 40-yard dash. In addition, the design of this shoe enables an athlete to maintain the initial drive stance, along with giving the athlete more speed and power during the first 10 yards, which are the most important to achieving a solid time.

The idea of a decreased 40-yard dash time is carried out by the Selective Laser Sintering technology.  This technology employs a high-powered laser to selectively fuse thermoplastic particles, usually a plastic or metal powder, into the desired solid. This technique that Nike uses allows them to create a cleat plate in a much shorter amount of time, while at the same time, increasing the overall weight, which offers many benefits to the athlete’s performance.

New Balance- All-American track runner, Jack Bolas became the first athlete to run a race in 3D printed equipment.

Bolas said, “I always wondered what it would be like to have custom shoes. They gave me a much more natural feel, with a perfect balance between the flex of the sole and still the responsiveness of a stiffer plate.”

After a long research-and-development process that was focused on ensuring that the shoes met Bolas’ individual needs, New Balance was able to create tailored spike plates. The process began when Bolas wore shoes that were wired with sensors to help designers at New Balance get an idea of how his foot interacted with the shoe. In addition, Bolas ran on tracks that were equipped with force plates that measured his impact with each stride. High-speed cameras also were used to add a detailed look at the interaction between his shoes and the track. Once this information was collected, just like Nike did, New Balance used the technology of Selective Laser Sintering to create the shoes.

For both brands, a custom spike plate entailed an expensive injection molding process. However, the invention of 3D printers offered them a solution to this expensive and time-consuming process and has now increased the speed of production, while decreasing the cost.

Both of these companies have invented a product that is intended to increase the speed and performance of professional athletes, through the use of 3D printed technology. Both Nike and New Balance have set the tone in the world of 3D printing by creating products that have a light-weight design and the ability to grip their intended surface with ease.

Copyright Davison 2013

Sources:

http://www.gizmag.com/nike-3d-printed-cleat/26403/

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/nikes-vapor-laser-talon-brings-3-d-printing-athletic-shoes-1C8645125

http://gizmodo.com/5990352/new-balance-adopts-3d-printing-to-create-hyper+customized-track-shoes

http://www.wired.com/playbook/2013/03/new-balance-3d-printed-shoes/

Pictures:

http://hypebeast.com/2013/2/nike-debuts-3d-printed-vapor-laser-talon-cleat

http://www.designboom.com/design/nike-vapor-laser-talon-boot/

http://gizmodo.com/5990352/new-balance-adopts-3d-printing-to-create-hyper+customized-track-shoes

http://printingdress.com/tag/3d-fashion/

The post Nike and New Balance are Making Great Strides appeared first on Davison.

The full design suite consists of five apps. The first of which is 123D catch, available online, for iOS, and for download. This app allows users to take twenty to forty photos from various angles, and upload them to Autodesk’s cloud to generate three dimensional models. An iPhone or iPad simplifies the process. The model is then sent back to the user for editing, uploading to their site, or 3D printing. The desktop and web version allow the user to edit and cleanup their models. Below you’ll find one that we shot and edited right here in Inventionland.

123D Creature is an iPad exclusive app designed to allow children and adults alike to create the monstrosity of their dreams with relative ease. It starts with a simple skeleton creator where users lay out the basic anatomy of their creature in digital clay. Once finished, a creature can be painted or adorned with decals and textures from the user’s iPad photo library. Finally, the creature can be put in an environment with customizable lighting, shadows, filters, and backgrounds. For those without access to a 3D printer, with just a few swipes of the finger, users can have a 3D print delivered to their doorstep. 123D Sculpt uses the same type of “clay modeling’ that 123D Creature does, but with unlimited freedom to create anything the imagination desires.

They’ve also released a free 3D modeling tool, 123D Design. It’s all about designing models by using complex tools to create anything you can think of. Like most of the other apps, it comes with models to get users started.

“Someone who’s brand new and doesn’t know how to work in 3D can start with this stuff and learn how to assemble things,” Christian Pramuk, 123D’s apps product manager at Autodesk, told Mashable. “You can be a complete novice, or you can delve into it and get quite a bit done.”

The app has a number of built-in shapes to help users get started, and offers pre-loaded “kits,” such as a robot kit that helps build your own robot with predesigned parts that can be resized or customized to meet users’ personal preferences.

Autodesk refers to the last program in the suite “DIY Joy.” If you don’t have access to a 3D printer, or you don’t want to send your creation to Autodesk to be printed, all it takes is a home computer, iOS device, a regular printer, or even some cardboard, scissors, and glue to bring your creations to life. Using any of the 3D models that users create in any of the other programs, or ones found on the web, 123D Make slices and sections projects so that they can be printed out on paper, then traced to cardboard, wood, acrylic, or any other material that the user wants, and glued together to create finished models.

All programs can be downloaded at 123dapp.com

http://mashable.com/2012/03/22/autodesk-3d-printing-ipad/

http://mashable.com/2012/11/07/123d-design-autodesk/

http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/14/autodesk-123d-creatures-lets-you-create-monsters-on-your-ipad/

http://techcrunch.com/2013/02/13/autodesk-releases-123d-creature-a-tool-to-design-paint-and-print-your-own-3d-monsters/

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/48435/autodesk-123d-design-app-review+&cd=21&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

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