Is 3D Printing the Future?

All the time now I hear (on the news or on tech-sites) of new and increasingly ridiculous objects being created via a 3D printer. I know the average person does not have access to one, so until we all do, here is a collection of wild creations I have found:

Food

3D Printed Cookies Created in the 'Foodini' Printer

Foodini users can prepare fresh ingredients, create a variety of pastes, and insert them into reusable capsules, which are then printed into any shape. 

Houses

A Chinese company has demonstrated the capabilities of its giant 3D printer by rapidly constructing 10 houses in less than 24 hours. Built from predominantly recycled materials, these homes cost less than $5,000.

Limbs

South African carpenter Richard van As suffered an accident and lost four fingers on his right hand. He decided to create a set of mechanical fingers to replace his lost digits. After two years of research, he created the prosthetic Robohand – and he has made the blueprints available to download.

Organs

In 2007, one of the first bio-printing companies was founded: Organovo. At the moment, Organovo is printing out liver tissue samples used for drug testing and research. The company's hoping to develop a functional liver, as well as other organs, in the near future.

Guns

This gun was machined by Defense Distributed and has stirred up a lot of controversy. Several groups have taken action against the creation of these types of weapons, but with the  blueprints available online, there is little that can be done.

Fully Functioning SLR Camera and Lens

You can 3-D print a fully-functional SLR camera in 15 hours and only $30 in parts. Assembly takes just one hour. The camera is capable of taking quality pictures and is compatible with any photographic lens. If it's not enough to have a near-complete 3-D printed camera, you can actually print a lens as well.

My Favorite: A 3D Printed Car

According to Local Motors, "Everything on the car that could be integrated into a single material piece has been printed. This includes the chassis/frame, exterior body, and some interior features. The mechanical components of the vehicle, like battery, motors, wiring, and suspension, are sourced from Renault’s Twizy, an electric powered city car." The Strati takes 44 hours to print and is already street legal in the US. 

What would you like to see 3D printed? Are these products going to become widely available? 

NATO Formally Ends War in Afghanistan

This past Sunday marked quite a memorable occasion as the US, along with the US-led International Security Assistance Force, became a supporting role in the new international mission, called Resolute Support. In front of Afghan and international military officials, as well as diplomats, Gen. John Campbell paid tribute to the troops who died fighting the insurgency. "The road before us remains challenging but we will triumph," he said. ISAF was set up after the US-led invasion that overthrew the Taliban regime following the Sept. 11 attacks. Looking back on the war, which started 14 years ago, little progress was made. 

Starting today, the new mission will provide support for Afghanistan's military, with the US loaning 11,000 members of the force. President Ghani, who took office in September, signed agreements with NATO allowing the military presence. The move has led to a spike in violence. The Taliban have used it as an excuse to step up operations aimed at destabilizing local government.

NATO supplies being packed up in Afghanistan.