Printing a working wrench on a 3D copier

It seems likely that, in the future, a 3D printer in your home may not be any more unusual than a traditional photo copier.  The unique opportunities created by 3D copying is inspiring everything from the fashion of the future to new musical instruments.

New way to pay with plastic: Canada debuts plastic $50 bills in ATMS

Carney at ATM featuring new plastic notes.
(Courtesy CP) 

Canada debuted the first plastic $50 bill.  This follows the $100 plastic note was released in November of 2011. $20, $10 and $5 notes are expected to be released throughout 2013.

The $50 note features two transparent areas—one in the shape of a maple leaf while the other that extends from top to bottom of the bank note utilising complex holographic features to enhance security, to counteract counterfeiting's rapid evolution in sophistication by use of available technology.

Existing $100 Bill

 Issuing this new series of bank notes enables us to continue to stay ahead of counterfeiters,” Governor Carney said. “And by regularly checking the leading-edge security features on these new notes, Canadians can help protect themselves from counterfeiting threats,” said Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of Canada, who cited a dramatic drop in counterfeiting

Aimee Mullins and her 12 pairs of legs: Prosthesis as fashion and for granting "superpowers"

Aimee Mullins' hand-carved legs from avant-garde "The Cremaster Cycle".

Athlete, actor and activist Aimee Mullins talks about her prosthetic legs -- she's got a dozen amazing pairs -- and the superpowers they grant her: speed, beauty, an extra 6 inches of height ... Quite simply, she redefines what the body can be.

A record-breaker at the Paralympic Games in 1996, Aimee Mullins has built a career as a model, actor  and advocate for women, sports and the next generation of prosthetic. 

Superpowers?

From an identity standpoint, what does it mean to have a disability? Pamela Anderson has more prosthetic in her body than I do. Nobody calls her disabled.” (Aimee Mullins) 

Aimee Mullins watches amputee and leg designer
Hugh Herr (below)  climb a wall at MIT

Herr pictured with Mullins
 on Wired magazine cover

Another amputee that breaks the previous mold is Hugh Herr, who lost his legs in a mountain climbing accident at 17.  Subsequently, motivated by trying to honor the life of the rescuer that had died trying to bring his group off the mountain, he received advanced degrees from MIT and Harvard in mechanical engineering and biophysics,  dedicated himself to designing better prosthetics, and is now a leader in the field. Herr has observed a strange divergence in the mortality and aging of his natural body, and the immortality regular upgrading of his artificial limbs:

Photo: Len Rubenstien/ Crown Business
Hugh Herr - Mountain climber, double
amputee and designer  has
"many, many legs" for different uses. 

"My biological body will degrade in time due to normal, age-related degeneration. But the artificial part of my body improves in time because I can upgrade. ... So I predict that when I'm 80 years old, I'll be able to walk with less energy than is required of a person who has biological legs, I'll be more stable, and I'll probably be able to run faster. ... The artificial part of my body is, in some sense, immortal."

MIT Professor and entrepreneur Hugh Herr talks about the future of bionic limbs and the currently available technologies, including exo-bionics (worn outside the body as an exoskeleton) for people who are using their natural legs that allow them to run on hard surfaces without damaging their knees and hips. He also  showcases exo-bionics to correct the drop-footed gait that often results from stoke, again not for amputees. His own leg will be soon be linked to his nervous system to allow him not only to walk on the beach, but to feel the sand through his bionic limbs.  His current research is focusing on creating a running exoskeleton for able-bodied people that will allow running to take the same effort as walking.

Design based on
Harley motorcycle

As prosthetics come out of the closet, designers are turning an eye towards this market as a new segment of the fashion and sportswear industry, just as eyeglasses before them.    Bespoke Innovations has used 3D printing to create cool custom legs inspired by items as diverse as from the client's existing tattoos,  Harley motorcycles,  to a classic Channel purse.

Nike's branded Prosthetic

There are 1.5 million amputees in the United States, so the market is already not inconsiderable.  If one adds in the probability that exo-bionics such as the hard surface running aid for non-amputees  will also be marketed, it's easy to understand the eagerness to establish presence in this area now. It's not surprising then, that Nike has designed the status sports-branded Nike Prosthetic, which looks like a cross between cyborg sci-fi and  high end sports equipment. In the future, it seems almost inevitable that there will be branded Air Jordan and Christian Dior body parts fighting for market share.    

Ring my Bell! Tattoo that vibrates when you get a call

Possible options: (pic: US Patent Office)

Phone maker Nokia has filed a patent for a vibrating tattoo that would alert wearers of incoming calls and texts. As it's actually the magnetic ink that is the vibrating element, it could both be worn as a badge or injected under the skin. The vibrations could be programmed to send other phone related information such as signalling a dead battery and could also have customized "vibe-tones" for different callers, much like custom ring tone today. For people who already feel that they are expected to be constantly on call and electronically available, this may make getting the option of choosing to be disconnected even more problematic.

“I have incredible optimism,” said Stephen Elop, Nokia President and CEO, “because I can see fresh opportunity for us to innovate, to differentiate..."  Certainly, this new technology should set Nokia apart as fresh and innovative.

Meanwhile, I located the following idea for a gadget taking things a step farther (from 2008). It's sobering, yet heady, how fast dreams can become actual technology.  One wonders how long it will be before something similar is developed and becomes the latest hot gadget.
Digital Tattoo Interface Turns Flesh Into An LCD

Imagine this: your phone rings and you lift your sleeve and push a tattooed button on your forearm. Next thing you know there is a digital video of the caller, moving in full video on your arm. After you hang up the tattoo completely fades away to leave nothing but your bare skin.
The Digital Tattoo Interface is a Bluetooth device that is inserted into the skin via a small incision. After inserted as a tube, it unrolls as a flat silicon base. It rests between skin and muscle. Glucose and oxygen in your blood fuel the implant via an attached artery and vein.
A special tattoo on the surface of your skin would interact with the field created by the device. Touching it through your skin would make it react similar to a touch screen display. Implications are limitless. Telephones, TV, the Web and just about everything else we rely on could be literally embedded in your skin."

Airplanes of the future push the design envelope

Visual overview of airplane designs of the future

Graceful Japan Airlines design

From flapping wings to eco-friendly flying saucers, bold new futuristic airplane designs are being developed for future use. Additionally, inspired by Richard Branson's viewing early space flights as a child, Virgin Galactic is starting regular passenger space flight service in 2013 out of its New Mexico spaceport. NASA's Solar Flapper proposes propelling itself by flapping its own wings, rather than relying on traditional turbine motors; whereas CleanEra, a group of researchers and engineers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, puts the emphasis on ecology with its flying saucer shaped "Greenliner" design, which is projected to reduce emissions per passenger by 50% as well as reducing noise pollution.

NASA Solar Flapper

Xray portraiture: Seeing more deeply with the art of Xavier Lucchessi

Photographer Xavier Lucchessi creates portraits using x-ray imaging. He has worked
with the museums of Paris, including the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsey photographing and interpreting museum collections ranging from African Art to plaster casts by Picasso, in addition to having a built a substantial body of work in a wide range of subject matter including automatons and bacteria, and has also published several books of his collections.

Plaster cast by Picasso interpreted by Luchessi

States Lucchessi,  "What is at stake here is that the gesture of going through matter makes it possible to see through and into matter. It is a human gesture, but it can only be made mentally if we are visionaries, or with the help of a special device. It is the gesture of the seer when he looks at you straight in the eyes and sees your soul. It is the gesture of X rays machines that look at matter and see what it conceals inside."

Bacteria become modern art through Lucchessi's fresh view

Primitive sophistication, African mask, Lucchessi

Ad from Lucchessi's latest exhibit

Color coded surgery: Molecules that make tumors and vital nerves light up with florescent colors

Dr. Quyen T. Nguyen is an Assistant Professor in the UCSD Department of Surgery. Nguyen demonstrates how a molecular marker can make tumors light up in neon green, showing surgeons exactly where to cut, as well as marking nerves to allow surgeons to  help doctors avoid accidentally severing nerves during surgery and minimize the risk of post-operational numbness and paralysis. 

Nguyen uses molecular probes that make tumors -- and just the tumors -- glow, as an extraordinary aid to surgeons.  Dr. Nguyen has been awarded a 5-year NIH grant to study the use of molecular fluorescence imaging to guide surgeons in tumor surgery. Using “smart” probes that can differentiate tumor from normal tissue, the goal of this grant is to develop a system that allows surgeons to see the margin between tumor and normal tissue in real time during surgery.  

Courtesy Quyen T. Nguyen M.D. Ph.D/University of California San Diego

Meanwhile, according to Discover Magazine, "...another fluorescent tool stands to help diabetics monitor their blood glucose levels without the painful finger pricks. University of Tokyo engineer Shoji Takeuchi and his team developed microscopic fluorescent beads that bind to glucose. In tests in mice, the beads glowed through the animals’ skin under ultraviolet light, varying in brightness as blood glucose levels changed. Takeuchi notes that in humans, a single injection of the beads could last more than a month, and a wearable monitoring device could periodically shine UV light on the skin to measure glucose levels. “We want to make it small enough to wear as an earring,” he says."

Maverick NASA engineer turned street artist creates a device allowing a paralyzed friend to write with his eyes

James Powderly

Straddling the gap between artist and engineer, James Powderly has created some of the most unique and imaginative technologies used in street art in the past couple years. Some people seem to live a bit larger than the rest of us: Powderly went from working at NASA, to working with street artists, to inventing a life-changing writing device for the paralyzed, with a detention by Chinese authorities in 2009 for his free Tibet protests, in the mix.

The Eyewriter allows use of eye movements to write  

Inspired by the life of Tony Quan, a graffiti artist who was diagnosed with the degenerative nerve disorder ALS in 2003, Zach Lieberman, James Powderly, Evan Roth, Chris Sugure and Theo Watson developed “EyeWriter.” A reasonably-priced eye tracking system and the software that runs it make it possible to draw on a computer screen just by moving ones eyes. This gives people who have contracted a neuromuscular disease—some of whom are completely paralyzed—a way to express their creativity in spite of their condition. 

Eyewriter Video

Playful light design with a point: intuitively visualizing energy use

"The Light Drop is supposed to make people think about how we are

dealing with our natural resources, in this particular case, the water,

which is the main source of energy for every living organism in this

fantastic world. Water is energy indeed."

This wall-mounted lighting element illuminates the custom-molded polycarbonate bulb with an embedded, dimmable LED in the faucet, which is intuitively controlled by the tap -- the more you twist, the more light you get -- which also serve to illustrate to contextualize energy use (though at a greatly reduced rate, compared to an incandescent  version of the same design).This design by Rafael Morgan, from Brazil-based International Design Studios, won the Third Prize in the Bright LED International Design Competition, by Design Boom  and Gwangju Biennale Foundation, Korea, which was founded in 1995 in memory of spirits of civil uprising of the 1980 repression of the Gwangju Democratization Movement.  Almost 3,500 designers from 92 different countries have participated in the design competition. The Light Drop currently being sold and produced by Wever & Ducre

Customize your guitar by downloading and printing your own parts

reAcustic eGuitar, with removable sound cells

Amit Zoran of MIT Media Lab envisions an acoustic guitar with parts that could be customized and updated with open-source downloads and printed on a home 3-D printer. (3- D printers are poised for home consumer production  and should be available in the near future).

Zoran explains " ..the reAcoustic eGuitar enables guitar players to customize their own sound by assembling different sound cells instead of a single large sound box. Each string will have it’s own bridge, each bridge will be connected to a different cell. changing the cell size, material or structure will allow sound design innovations, re-designing acoustic musical instrument according to the abilities and characteristics of rapid prototype materials. open source and shared files environment can lead to a reality in which a player can download or design his own sound cells and add them (as a patch) to his instrument".

Zoran

Seth Hunter test drives a newly printed flute in this video

Multi-piped horn: Playing with
design possibilities using 3D printing

Zoran is also known for printing a working flute and recording the results as it was played as a test for acoustical quality. The resulting video is a good demonstration of the possibilities for 3D printing in the evolution of music.  He has also designed alternative concept instruments using 3D printing technology.

Light in Future Fashion: From video dress to glowing tattoos.

Philip's Design, a Dutch-based global design firm specializing in healthcare, lighting and consumer products, creates "probes" as part of a dedicated research program into far-future lifestyle trends, that may evolve to have a significant effect on business and society. The "Bubelle" dress featured in the video,created by self-styled "body architect" Lucy McRae, was designed to be an emotion sensing garment and is the result of one of those probes.  The dress is illuminated by patterns that are changed dependent on contact with the skin, and "Fission" a body suit that reacts to being blown on by lighting tiny LEDs. ( Philip's is currently also garnering attention from the press for its fantasy future-world Robotskin £13.5 ad campaign featuring a sensual futuristic femme-bot  shaving her master) 

Katy Perry in a LED fabric dress at the  Met Museum of Art

From incorporating  LEDs into existing traditional fabric designs, or creating designs in woven luminescent LED fabric; light-up fashion is rapidly going mainstream. Designer and innovator, Hussein Chalayan, already known for his morphing dresses, is experimenting in video dresses that have moving scenes,  such as swimming fish, traveling across the the fabric.  There are also forays into clothing with lights that respond to music and other sounds, as well as self-adhesive post-mastectomy breast forms with moving patterned lights that respond to touch.

Black light tattoo now, sub-dermal LEDs soon

Black light tattoos are currently available and LEDs  are slated to be available for implantation under the skin for personal body art that will glow in normal darkened conditions shortly. Color-changing tattoos that respond to changes in blood sugar to provide an easy visual measurement for diabetics have been spectacularly successful in animal trials and are expected to be released to market in two years, pending human trials. It seems very likely that this technology will find cross-over into personal body art, which could be mixed with luminescent ink for an even wider range of expression.

Hussein Chayalan's video dresses

Kony 2012 Invisible Children: Crowdsource geopolitics is born

Jason Russell, Filmaker behind Invisible Children and Kony 2011

When I got home yesterday my two of my children met me at the door and urgently led me by the hand to our PC, insisting "You have to see this. It's important."   What followed was the half hour  Invisible Children / Kony 2012 campaign video. The movie tellingly opens with the statement "Right now there are more people on Facebook that there were on the planet two hundred years ago" and goes on to lay out a social medial campaign to capture Joseph Kony, a Ugandan rebel leader who has maintained power by kidnapping children to use as soldiers for twenty three years, by the December 31st 2012.  This was not the first I had heard of Koby, and he is not the only strongman to have used children as troops, but this was something utterly new in approach and assumptions.   Within minutes, I  recognized that well-meaning goals aside, I might be watching a brand new, potentially historical social phenomena, with a class-leveling populist ideology.  One can't help but draw parallels with the tides socialism or communism at the turn of the century; ironically (considering the largely democratic, relatively high wealth base) perhaps born of a similar frustration in the seeming inability of the common man without connections or influence to create political movement, coupled with a pervasive perception of current politics as being cynical, corrupt and ineffective process.

Whatever the underlying factors, my children were watching it for the third time that day- an hour and a half of teenage time set aside for this one activity. This was followed was over an hour of impassioned planning; an action plan of outreach through social networks, traditional letter writing to elected officials, personal fundraising, and mobilizing their schools for further outreach and fundraising; an effort made easier by the fact that my younger child's English and history teacher had agreed to show and use the video as a starting point for a discussion the following day. A movie had not only mobilized my children, to move beyond rhetoric to actual action, but had also filtered up to the school administration (and thus broad acceptance) in a matter of days. This was viral on a whole new level: Focused, goal-oriented, geo-political and massively effective in delivering its message.  The Invisible Children / Kony 2012 campaign had gone viral internationally and was creating a brand new power dynamic.

The Kony 2012 / Invisible Children Film

Whatever your opinions of the criticism or details of the Kony 2012 campaign- the most appropriate use of donated funds, how urgent the current threat is, etc; perhaps the most significant society-changing aspect is that it represents the first successful foray into the micro-focused use of social media and technology to address a single global issue. This clearly represents an entirely new power dynamic in the area of geopolitics; one that until recently was not technologically possible, and one that will no doubt attempt to be  replicated and improved upon in the near future.

There is little argument that the conditions leading to the restlessness that sparked the Arab Spring, and the movement's ability to topple long-held power structures could not have taken place without the fluid real- time communication and inherent openness of easily available current technology.  The US presidential race is similarly tech-centered now, with online fundraising, accessibility and image control no longer optional for political contenders; which inherently already creates a crowdsourced, social social network-influenced result. Influencing the choice of one the leaders of the free world isn't inconsiderable in terms of geopolitical power in itself, but Kony 2012 is destined to be a game-changer in the way things are done worldwide for the following reasons:

The focus here is is on a relatively obscure issue taking place on the other side of the globe. Normally, political action beyond words and sympathetic head shaking is motivated by  a limited number of factors that decide if there a national interest in getting involved,  which is determined broadly (and perhaps appropriately, taking into account that our influence and resources are limited and might be more effective when focused on key areas) by considering the following three questions:

First, and most urgently, is there a direct threat to our national security, or does stabilizing or aligning with this area have strategic importance? Secondly, is there an reasonably immediate economic threat or economic interest for us in the region? Thirdly, the "soft" category; that is, are there pressures from our allies, expectations on a humanitarian basis, inside grass roots voter pressure or changing social morays that make it appropriate to act?

Of the third, "soft category", factors; citizen and social pressure is the one that historically takes the longest time to filter up to the point where it is creates movement. The anti Vietnam war protest, women's rights, integration and voting rights are all good examples of movements that took years or decades of grass roots organizing and protest to create the change they envisioned; as are a range of international humanitarian missions that needed to reach a critical level of awareness before action was taken.

An idea with a timetable, complete with deadline

Now, in literally days, over five million people have been mobilized into awareness and action, primarily through using a shot a short film and social networking as catalysts to create awareness of a problem across the world. The filmmaker, Jason Russell, was quite unapologetic in the use of a significant portion of the contributions to the Invisible Children campaign being used to make and distribute to film.  In this case, the message is the product, and he calls the awareness campaign "an experiment to create change'.

However sincere or experimental, this is also a sophisticated, carefully planned, savvy, segment-focused and detailed campaign. It is no coincidence that it's being released in a campaign year and touted as being beyond party politics, while still having an awareness of the benefit of manipulating the sensitivity of politicians to media trends in election years for maximum benefit.  It's just this sort of fine balancing between idealism and cynicism that Russell does with such finesse.  There's a remarkable openness with the film audience about the necessity  of manipulating the media and politicians (and should they consider it, the viewers themselves) in a way that requires admirable marketing sophistication and a certain cynical acceptance of how things work; but somehow it never sullies the image of impassioned idealist; rather it  creates a picture of a dreamer cleverly considering and taking every possible advantage in the David and Goliath battle against existing apathy and lack of political will. One is asked to join in to become a willing pawn in the overall media campaign, with no attempt to disguise that fact, in order to achieve a greater good.

Extensive and detailed analysis of what made it such a success is sure to follow; but arguably the biggest factors were the genuine, personal informal tone of the video, which would resonate and feel familiar to the intended audience of younger viewers that are cynical and media savvy enough to sense hype, but are also looking for leadership and an ability to have some ability to influence things in a world that is feeling larger and more connected but still has problems that are frustratingly complex and intractable.  This results in the dichotomy of simultaneously having a sense of being both aware of the world in a way that was unthinkable to previous generations, and still often being helpless to change the very things they might become aware of.  In addition, the levels of atrocity (which some children haven't been exposed to in such detail previously) and the fact that it was committed against children just like them, coupled with an uncomplicatedly evil Koby (who seemingly has no muddying idealogical or political goals other than staying in power) make this the "perfect storm" for a strong uncomplicated emotional response.

Kony depicted with Bin Laden, Hitler on downloadable poster

This second part, the helplessness to feel one can have a real effect, was neatly addressed by  a clear and user-friendly packaged way to effectively participate, including a clear short timetable including a specific date for a dramatic all stops out media friendly event, and a "protest kit" available for those who donate to the cause (these had already long been exhausted by the time my children logged on but, again, there was sufficient forethought to make a downloadable kit available), and highly specific conveniently linked things that could make a difference and why. I couldn't help but think how well put together it all was from a customer experience point of view.

Slacktivists? Backlash to movement 

"Why it will work" was the last aspect that made the film so powerful as a motivator.  From explaining  why celebrities were involved and that they were drawn from a range of demographics, to specifically why contacting politicians is likely to create movement (with the added reinforcement in that it  has already altered the Obama administration's stance) ; to why there's a specific timetable and what the reaction is likely to be following the night of solidarity; throughout there was a sense of bringing the viewer in on the marketing plan. The assumption was that the viewer was aware of the power of the media and information, and so could be in on manipulating it for a goal that was firmly established early on as being the moral and decent thing to do.  The obvious morality of the situation is underscored with the use of a Gavin, producer's Jason Russell's son, who naturally doesn't understand why we don't "get the bad guy", which also may link into a younger generation that wants to be idealistic but feels unempowered. They can both still relate to the boy's innocence and emotion, but unlike him, also be given an clearly defined path to flex their new power and independence as young adults or teens to act. Naturally there is also an internet backlash by the same demographic against the "slacktivists" "...Because anyone who thinks changing their Facebook avatar will fix anything deserves a lampooning" targeted  at the perceived audience of this campaign

Between the heady feel of being empowered to change the world, having the opportunity able to act altruistically and idealistically, joining a hip and socially relevant movement (wrist bracelets are naturally available), there's little doubt that "viral" was inevitable. My children have already mobilized their friends and are setting up fundraising events. They feel empowered, relevant and virtuous.  I wonder if they will someday grow cynical or overwhelmed as attempts to copy the success of this early foray into focused social media politics results in a barrage of potentially equally deserving causes competing to capture their attention and  engage them; and if they will become discouraged or numb to the seemingly unending variety of ways that people can be made to suffer unfairly throughout the world. If this is a success (perhaps partly due the newness of the form), at least they may be able to tell themselves they were once a small part of capturing a super-villain, before the world got so complex.

Crowdsourcing: How free micro-labor can do the impossible. Luis von Ahn with a funny and fascinating view of how voluntarily linking millions of human brains can painlessly do massive scale tasks.

Crowdsourcing, or mass human computation, is a new discipline and has already had three annual conferences, and an industry rapidly forming around the commercial and fundraising  applications. Meanwhile, Luis von Ahn the man who brought you those annoying distorted web security words, or CAPTCHAs, and then found a way to make the ten seconds you spend typing them be the labor source for digitizing millions of books, has now found a way to use free labor to rapidly and accurately translate the entire web. Yes, that's right - the entire web- for free by offering potentially millions of people a free and effective way to become multi-lingual, and most amazingly it actually makes good solid sense as a business model!

He is natural, funny, and a totally innovative and revolutionary thinker.

 Before the Internet, coordinating more than 100,000 people, let alone paying them, was essentially impossible. But now with the Internet, I’ve just shown you a project where we’ve gotten 750 million people to help us digitize human knowledge.” (Luis von Ahn

http://www.ted.com/talks/luis_von_ahn_massive_scale_online_collaboration.html 

 "After re-purposing CAPTCHA so each human-typed response helps digitize books, Luis von Ahn wondered how else to use small contributions by many on the Internet for greater good. At TEDxCMU, he shares how his ambitious new project, Duolingo, will help millions learn a new language while translating the Web quickly and accurately -- all for free"

3-D printer as new medium for high fashion

Iris van Herpen

Twenty-nine year old dutch designer, Iris van Herpen blurs the line between tech, fashion and art with her innovative designs. Van Herpens web site states "...She creates a new direction of couture that combines fine handwork techniques with futuristic digital technology", and, "She mixes craftsmanship- using old and forgotten techniques- with 
innovation and materials inspired on the world to come."


Designers are exploring printing as a new resource both for fabrics and more architectural elements.

3D printed wrench

For a demonstration of a 3D printer in action, check out the printing a working wrench video.  

Crowdsourced creativity: Aaron Koblin transforms data into immersive artworks.

Aaron Koblin, Artist and innovator

Below: Participants are invited to create a drawing that is woven into a collective tribute to Johnny Cash, set to his song "Ain't No Grave." The project was inspired by the song's central lyric, "ain't no grave gonna hold my body down," and represents Cash's continued existence, even after his death, through his music and his fans. The work continues to grow and evolve as more people participate. A collaboration with director Chris Milk.

Above:  Flight patterns: A visualization based on US air traffic control data