I've been developing ways to use 3d powder printing to make air powered robots that have no hard moving parts. Using procedural modeling I can create rapid iterations, incremental designs, and inexpensive prototypes with a simple set of tools. Find more details at - bit.ly/softrobots

You can see video of this design in action here - youtube.com/watch?v=EkPeF-sYQ-0

This is an early prototype of a trefoil tentacle. There are three hollow ribbed volumes inside this tentacle that control its motion. It is controlled through a Processing interface and an Arduino switching a bank of solenoid valves using a simple Darlington transistor. You can grab the code here - forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=36579

This whole project has been made possible by the folks over at viridis3d.com especially Jim Bredt. They've been very generous in letting me use their machines and helping me figure out solutions to the material science challenges involved in this kind of work. They're awesome.

These files are designed to make a simple soft robotic quadruped. The process may seem complex, but it's pretty easy once you have a handle on the basics. Essentially the goal is to get a robot you design in CAD popped out into the real world as a seamless silicone part, ready to be piloted with air pressure. The way this shakes out is to use molding to get waxes that form the interior air channels, and print shells to form the exterior surface. I've been using powder printing over at viridis3d.com (they've been excellent research partners) to achieve this, but it should work equally well using FDM as long as you acetone smooth it and check for cracks.

This prototype didn't function as planned, but the next revision (due out late April) should correct the design oversights.

For more details check bit.ly/softrobots and for detailed notes on this particular robot, see the post at har.ms/blog/print-your-own-robot-part-8/

These files were created for a collaboration with sculptor Jake Waldron ( jakewaldron.com/ ). To try making your own soft robot with these files you will need a little familiarity with silicone mold making and casting.

You can find more details and documentation on the process as well as other robots made in this fashion at bit.ly/softrobots

This is an early prototype for a soft robotic tentacle. These files form the mold, in which you cast two part RTV silicone. These were printed on a modified Z-Corp printer, with Viridis' material MakerDust forming the outer shell, and corn starch forming the inner core.

You can find more details on har.ms/category/blog/soft-robots/

I wanted to get back into the swing of designing mechanical things from solely laser cut parts and, as I just got myself a nice 60Watt laser, I thought it would be nice to cut myself a little mechanical cat. It stands about 3" high, is made out of super friendly .125" pressboard, and features the distinctive face of the Internet Defense League's cat signal { internetdefenseleague.org/ }.

This mask has been worn by thousands of people each silently experiencing an intense interactive play put on in the bowels of Manhattan's McKittrick Hotel. The once abandoned building has been elaborately refurbished to play out an extensive interwoven drama through multiple floors. You, as the masked audience, chase characters as they bound down the stairs intent on murder, or watch from the shadows as they lock in passion or mortal combat.

I went to see this spectacle at the behest of just about everybody I know and feel it was well worth the hype. I thought sharing the souvenir I took back from the experience with you would encourage you to go out and make some theatrical mischief of your own.

You can see more of my work on har.ms and my store at sleekanddestroy.com

This mask was designed by Punchdrunk and they retain its rights. Feel free to copy, remix, play and share. If you sell replicas, you're a bad person and Odin will poop in your shoes.

I've been creating a sculpture, the Anywhere Organ anywhereorgan.tumblr.com , for the past year or so. It's gone through many iterations, modifications, revisions, and changes over time but is finally coming together into a predictable, robust sculpture.

I designed these parts as a system to take salvaged organ pipes and create them into a huge extended instrument, networked together and controlled by MIDI. Organ enthusiasts have been saving dismantled pipe organs from the dumpster for years, but many don't have the time or resources to use all the parts they acquire. I've found they've been very eager to have me take random or incomplete sets off their hands. As my own collection grows I'm hoping to add to the Anywhere Organ, eventually having the mobile equivalent of a cathedral organ I can take anywhere from an underground cave, to an abandoned theater, to a fire escape and play.

I've been doing a Kickstarter trying to raise funds for the next bigger, better version. Please give it a look, tell your friends, and donate. kck.st/anywhereorgan

All of the DXF's are designed to be cut centerline on an industrial laser out of 3/4" nom. (.719") indoor plywood.

This document was created as a way to release what I've learned and built through designing the Anywhere Organ. It is not intended to be a tutorial. It is intended to help folks get on their way to building their own organs, laser cut instruments, and huge awesome things. At some point I may tutorialize, but the path to the design I now have has been so long and winding it is difficult to put down concisely into a Thing.

After a day playing around in the Interactive Parametrics seminar I came up with a little suite to make STL's based on simple rotated geometry. The program doesn't make allowances for internal geometry, so it might print with unintentional infill. Take it for a spin and let me know what you think.

This is a quick experiment put together in the ModeLab Interactive Parametrics class. You can download the processing sketch in the RAR and play around with it on your own. Hit "s" while running the sketch to save an STL.

*EDIT* I'm still working on getting a valid manifold on this one. Be warned that it tends to generate files with loads of intersecting internal geometry which will be very unfriendly with your bot.

I started this project long, long ago. I was teaching at TechShop and had the time, tools, and a drive to make something serious. You see, I have had this long history of mixed emotions about steampunk. On the one hand, it is a wonderful and beautiful to look back on generations past and reflect on all the awesome things they have done. It is great to be inspired by Tesla and Grahm Bell and all the guys slaving away in steel mills wearing top hats. On the other hand steampunk has also become a label for hastily made shoddy things muddled together with hot glue, watch gears, and brass spray paint.

Often times my philosophy is to not have opinions on things until I have done something substantial to justify them. This is me putting my money where my mouth is. This is my highly engineered, hard labor, meticulously calculated answer to why steampunk is awesome. There can be so much cool in the intersection between math and metal and leather and science and I think everyone should give it a try.

The whole set of photos from the project is on display here flickr.com/photos/gianteye/sets/72157624394079042/

You can see a bit more on how the metal components on the goggles were made here flickr.com/photos/gianteye/sets/72157619078382624/ and find out a bit more about the prototyping process here makersmarket.com/seller/gianteye/blog

I fuel my insatiable love for design and adventure through ventures like selling digitally fabricated jewelry on etsy. You should take a look at gianteye.etsy.com or get in touch with me at m sinbox.org if you have ideas, advice, job offers, commissions, or cake.

Cold face? Too many specks in your milk? Missing a place to store your crumbs? Mustaches cure all possible ills. Choose from the Brush, the Erp, or the Twirl.

*Now available in laser cutter format for those of you who desire the rich manly smell of burning plastic with their pushbroom.*

I know you want to print a brain of your very own. Observe this lovely normal brain. I downloaded the raw mri files from bit.ly/7d9TFA and converted them in 3d-doctor.com/

3dDoctor can output some pretty messy STL's so you'll probably want to fix them up in NetFabb or another mesh repair tool.

All the world is a theater and you, with shades, will riff upon it. Seeing the humor in things is sometimes a matter of the company you keep. Laughing at all the world's ills becomes so much easier with Mike/Joel and the bots along for the ride.

You know you want me, baby!
Take a look at some photos of this thing in action: flickr.com/photos/gianteye/sets/72157622837429705/

So you've gotten your hands a handcuff key to print in case some vagabond cuffs you to a table conveniently within reach of your trusty Makerbot. But what if, using your newfound freedom, you find yourself at liberty to turn the tables and show them what the powers of nerd rage, extruded nylon filament, and Greyskull combined can achieve? This is a functional pair of handcuffs that you can print out in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Ferret7 printed one out! thingiverse.com/thing:1300 Awesome!

I just polished off a working model. Take a look here: flickr.com/photos/gianteye/sets/72157622866071790/

Nope, not Dash Rendar, Ponda Baba, or even the young Lando Calrissian. It's your favorite smuggler Han Solo lovingly packed in carbonite for convenient shipping and storage. Enjoy Han Solo by yourself or with friends. Han makes a lovely conversation piece and will be certain to make you the center of every party.

I owe a special thank you to Sci-Fi 3d { scifi3d.com } and the awesome free STL editing package Netfabb { netfabb.com }

You've heard of Bokode web.media.mit.edu/~ankit/bokode/ , right? The long distance microscope that lets you see detailed barcodes and data with only a digital camera? The one that uses a tiny 3mm lenslet to display highly accurate position and distance information from several meters away?

Yeah. That one.

You've probably heard the story about the artist who wore mirrored goggles flipping his vision upside down for a few days. After a while his brain also flipped correcting his perspective. When he finally took off the glasses at the end of the experiment he found that his own native vision was upside down. Cool eh?

Here's a chance to try. The mechanism of these is articulated by looking down into the mirrored panel. You see there a flipped version of the world. Unfortunately your cone of vision is pretty limited. It's intended to be laser cut on .11 mirrored acrylic (mirrored side down, please)which is often labeled as 1/8". You'll also need 4-40 shcs and nuts. Washers completely optional... I can't remember why I included them in the design.

Since I'm on the subject of video games, why not the beloved Weighted Companion Cube? Forming emotional attachments to the cube is totally awesome when you print your own out on that FDM machine you've been using as a spare coatrack.

Howdy. I know you all yearn to wear something sweet, metal, and culled from the oceanic depths of the oilpunk masterpiece Bioshock. This is your brass opportunity as I've converted its officially kickass logo into a 3d file for which to use, abuse, and hold up pants. It's a belt buckle. The versions I've done are in bronze from a cnc cut wax model (carved with a 1/8in 15deg inc taper profile tool) and a Zcorp 3dprint. It's pretty fine on the detail end of things so you might want to scale up if you're gonna go for a FDM.

I also have to thank the lovely and talented Meredeth Wrinkle of TechShop fame for photographing the Zcorp version of this project and being an essential supporter. I couldn't be holding this lovely little trinket without her constant support.