This Week in NYC3DP

The folks at Maker Media, Inc. (MM of Sebastopol, CA) are as “hands-on” as their eTinker, 3DPer and DigiFabber constituents in the Maker Movement. (I think MM should get the lion’s share of the credit for—if not founding, exactly—helping to coalesce, support and nurture this dynamic community worldwide.) The MM Team goes to where the action is to make (good) things happen…hands-on!

The Illuminated Maker Media “Man” outside World Maker Faire NY ’14 “Town Hall” at the new Kickstarter HQ in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 10 July 2014

Approximately 30% to 35% of all MM’s Maker Faire activity is directly related to 3D printing. So, as the Maker Movement grows—at a furious pace, as measured by the MM’s booming Maker Faire business (see below)—“Makerism” and its Digital Fabrication base is likely to be a major driver of 3DP education and popularization.

As a kind of hybrid commercial/common-good organization (but very-much a business), Maker Media addresses Maker-centric issues of all kinds across what is now a rich ecosystem. MM is focused on delivering the Maker message, “toolkit” and ethos as widely as possible. Maker Media accomplishes its mission via media publishing (MAKE Magazine), event production (Maker Faires), online merchandizing (Maker Shed) and player-coalescing (Makezine.com, the Making in Education programs and more) at multiple levels.

Thursday night (10 July) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Maker Media came to the Techreative Borough to host a “Town Hall” around their upcoming (20 & 21 September) 5^th AnnualWorld Maker Faire New York 2014 at NYSCI (New York Hall of Science) in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens.

In truth, World Maker Faire New York has—in the five years since its debut—now become “New York Maker Week.” In 2013, “Mayor Mike” Bloomberg proclaimed “Maker Week” (a la “Fashion Week”) and MM & “Partners” (local and otherwise) managed to put on—or contribute to—10 major ancillary events in the week before World Maker Faire itself. These ranged from the “Hardware Innovation Workshop” to “Education Day” to the “Make a Makerspace Workshop.”

For last week’s Town Hall, MM put out the call to its faithful: local Makers, educators, collaborators, partners, exhibitors, non-profits, public/private partnerships and government supporters. Maker Media gathered them all in—at the new HQ and home of Kickstarter, NYC’s innovative startup-crowdsourcer—in far north Williamsburg. (Kickstarter holds the undisputed title as the driver of more desktop 3D printer development than any other organization in the world…perhaps KS should create a special division and call it “3DPStarter.”)

John Dimatos, Kickstarter Spokesperson (white shirt) & Sherry Huss, Maker Media VP (far right), Presenters at World Maker Faire New York 2014 “Town Hall” 10 July 2014

These days, event production—in the form of its booming “Maker Faire” franchise—is MM’s “growth engine” offering. In 2013—according to Maker Faire Co-Founder, traveling Team Leader, primary spokesperson and MM VP Sherry Huss Thursday night—Maker Media managed to help Maker communities, from all over the world, expand that “boom.” Sherry announced—with understandable pride—that MM assisted in successfully staging 100 variously sized Maker Faires, based on its continually evolving model, last year.

These Faires took place in organizational locations (hey—just in the last six weeks or so—The White House Maker Faire, Maimonides Medical Center MiniMaker Faire for Nurse Makers in Brooklyn, and others), towns, cities and major metro-areas worldwide in 2013. Ms. Huss further remarked that “over 530,000 people experienced those [100] Faires.” Sherry also stated that the largest Maker Faire growth last year was in Europe—reconfirming the international nature of the Maker Movement.

World Maker Faire New York Invites The World’s Makers To Join-In For The 2014 Faire Edition

I suspect that the 37% growth (2013 over 2012) of the Maker Faires’ aggregate “gate” encouraged Maker Media to proclaim 2014 “The Year of the Maker.” Sherry Huss told the Town Hall audience that this tagline—and emphasis—would be used at World Maker Faire, too. Buttressing this natural Maker constituency spotlighting, Sherry and MM have also said the following: “The Maker Movement has reached new heights over the last year, impacting the way people are learning, creating, sharing, and collaborating on hobby projects, new inventions, and product enhancements. [In 2014, we] will showcase this electric enthusiasm for making and bring together the community that exemplifies the maker spirit.”

Here are the highlights of the rest of Thursday night’s Town Hall, garnered from MM staff presentations, comments by showcased partners, the revelatory Q&A, my individual discussions with Maker Media Team members in breakout sessions and my exchanges in the hospitality-driven meeting-epilog:

• Adding to World Maker Faire’s growth promise, MMers and the audience-member Makers—at the Williamsburg Town Hall—seem to agree with other knowledgeable players in one important strategic point. NYC appears to be developing into America’s epicenter for Digital Fabrication and 3DP—outstripping Silicon Valley in this disrupting-creativity segment. As 3DP technology continues to grow in empowerment and drop in delivered price—particularly on the desktop—more Makers will employ Additive Manufacturing in their “making.”
• Given the booming, demonstrated growth-rates at Maker Faires in aggregate (2013 over 2012)—and extrapolating from the attendance figures of last year’s World Maker Faire New York (75,000)—this year’s Faire in the City could see 100,000 through the gates over its two weekend days of 20 and 21 September.
• As additional confirmations of international Maker Movement growth, MM has well-advanced plans to found a third “Flagship” Maker Faire in London, at Olympic Park, in the Summer of 2015. (This will add to this year’s original two: Maker Faire Bay Area in San Francisco and World Maker Faire in New York.)
• Sherry Huss and the MM Team also showcased the potential leverage and multiplier effects of New York City—the planet’s most diverse mega-city—as THE world hub of international Makerism. Maker Media’s World Maker Faire is designed to foster that important vector. (This is the only Maker Faire with “World” in its title and the branding reinforces the positioning.)
• [Note to MM: consider reaching out to and informing the 150+ foreign consulates in NYC about World Maker Faire and its international commercial implications. And, involve NYC & Company (the City’s official portal for tourism activities) to further spread the World Maker Faire “word.”]
• One MM Teammate commented that New York City—for several compelling reasons—would likely surpass Maker Faire Bay Area (the founding venue nine years ago) in size and influence. First, the City is America’s most prominent magnet for transcontinental flights, international tourism and foreign commerce. (A projected 56 million-total tourists and travelers are likely to visit NYC in 2014, of whom over 20% debark from foreign locations.) Furthermore, World Maker Faire’s geographic location, physical growth potential and transportation infrastructure assets in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens—on the former 1964 World’s Fair site—promise growth vectors superior to the Bay Area’s.
• In her Town Hall introductory remarks, Sherry Huss also announced MakerCon New York 2014. This event debuted in May in at Maker Faire Bay Area. MakerCon (this link is to the 2014 Maker Faire Bay Area) is superseding 2012 and 2013’s Hardware Innovation Workshops—and perhaps incorporating other World Maker Faire Week events, e.g., Make a Makerspace Workshops—held as part of the Maker Faires in the Bay Area and NYC. The Hardware Innovation Workshops were semi-exclusive meetups of Maker insiders and industry players—and at least one was, in fact, an award winner. However—consonant with the “Year of the Maker” theme and positioning—MM is apparently out to democratize this Workshop’s usefulness in 2014 and going forward.
• So—Voila!—MakerCon is a conference (held during the Flagship Maker Weeks) by and for Makers. The key themes are tools of innovation, Maker community building and the business of Making. Here the fuller MM profile of this new event (see 2014 Maker Faire Bay Area online Overview here): “The Maker Movement is providing new insights into local and global manufacturing, design, workforce development, education and even creative culture. MakerCon will provide valuable, practical insights into the impact of the maker movement on science, business and technology.” Ms. Huss opined that 300 to 400 would attend the two days of MakerCon New York—prior to World Maker Faire itself—on September 17 and 18, 2014.
• [Have you noticed how long this post is?!! I have. Sorry: stopping now… OK, I haven’t talked about some other ancillary (and also important) events during the Week (prior) of World Maker Faire New York 2014. These include:]
• NYC’s Top Maker Program,
• The Five-Borough Pop-Up Maker Tour, Sept 15-19: Discover making in NYC,
• Maker Faire Traveler Program,
• Maker Camp (a free summer camp for building, tinkering & exploring),
• Maker Faire Education Community,
• And more…

You know, I’ve attended all four of the previous World Maker Faires here in the City. But, until I joined-in the MM Town Hall at Kickstarter in Williamsburg last week—and then researched deep into the Maker Faire phenomenon to write this article—I never really understood how rich the Maker Faire ecosystem is. Maker Media Inc.—according to Sherry Huss—is an organization with only around 50 employees. Yet, MM has figured out how to empower a universe in the Maker Movement via its Maker Faires and its interlocking Maker Media offerings. Kudos!

I’m looking forward to participating in my fifth World Maker Faire New York 2014 in September…

C’mon Back!

LAND

Last Month I Reported On 3DP & Human Health Via The 3D-Printing Of Exo-Solutions For Non-Invasive Healthcare Mashups. Now, One Of My Examples—3D Systems Corporation’s “Ekso-Suit“—Has Won A Major Award For Superior Industrial Design…

Paralyzed former-skier Amanda Boxtel & 3D System’s “Ekso-Suit”—described by the company as the “first ever 3D printed hybrid Exoskeleton robotic suit”—demos her hyper-customized wearable robot on debut in February 2014.

3D Systems Corporation (3DS) continues to lead the 3DP Industry. And, one of the primary reasons why is President and CEO Avi Reichental’s (mostly correct) strategic market-target decisions. Avi & Co. have a knack for successfully aiming at the hottest marketplace opportunities they regularly foresee for their company.

Chief among these is 3DS’ innovative 3DP-solutions applied to the additive-manufacturing susceptible needs of the enormous worldwide Healthcare (HC) industry.

Our current 3DP-business consensus holds that Healthcare is the fastest growing sector in our industry. IDTechEx—a research house in London—projects that 3DP will be a $7 plus billion business in 2025. AND, that $3 plus billion of that will be comprised of HC-specific products and systems. Further, most of those solutions will stem from Med Sci, BioTech and HC-novel RD&D yet to be completed.

Today, the outlines of the future of 3DP in Healthcare can just be discerned. But, the indicators are broad and deep and the foment and ferment among scientists, experts and commentators extensive. Hence, prudent players in both 3DP and HC are beginning to invest in advancing the market-developing discoveries, inventions and innovations that beckon the insiders, the initiated and the in-the-know.

Avi Reichental has perfected a primary technique for garnering the technological and managerial resources to attack perceived marketplaces opportunities. That is to acquire them—lock, stock and barrel. In the last two and a half years 3DS has made over 45 3DP-related acquisitions. Many of these were HC-focused companies or those with HC-applicable solutions (e.g., geomagic/sensable).

As recently as April, Mr. Reichental’s 3DS added Medical Modeling to its stable of acquired HC companies. With that acquisition, 3DS also obtained the executive capabilities of Andy Christensen—the man who formerly ran Medical Modeling. Mr. Christensen is now Vice President of Personalized Surgery and Medical Devices at 3DS. To make the best commercial sense of his company’s HC opportunities, President Reichental has charged his new VP with effectively integrating the Healthcare assets now under roof at 3DS.

The concept of “Personalized” HC solutions is key to the gathering hyper-growth in 3DP-driven Healthcare. At last—with 3DP “one-off” flexibility in human-interface design—HC practitioners and clinicians can deliver superior medical devices because they are truly patient-specific. With personalization comes reduced costs, improved results and enhanced quality of healing. Patients—an historically grim term for the HC client—will need less patience with 3DP/HC.

Andy Christensen opines: “3D printing and scanning are allowing massive steps forward in the field of custom-designed braces that reflect and support a patient’s unique form.”

On 2 July, 3D Systems announced that two of its Bespoke design applications (extending the British term “bespoke,” or custom-built, to patient-specific: think “bespoke Rolls”) have been showcased by the 2014 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) from the IDSA (Industrial Design Society of America) and Core77 (an industrial design magazine and resource portal). Both the 3D printed personal Ekso robotic exoskeleton and Bespoke Braces for hand and wrist were recognized, with the Ekso being awarded Bronze in the Social Impact category.

(With this last point, it is interesting to note that 3DS also takes non-commercial stances with the social implications of 3DP applied to commonweal betterment. The company enjoys a Director of Social Impact—Ms. Leanne Gluck—who resides at the Union Square office of 3DS in New York City. Doing well by doing good CAN have corporate resonance for a public company!)

3DS VP Christensen further commented, “The work and research being done by our [HC-focused] teams represent the cutting edge in patient-specific treatments and it is satisfying to see that work being recognized for the design excellence that results.”

According to 3DS, Bespoke Braces for hand and wrist—currently in its pilot phase—is a first-of-its-kind, 3DP-driven medical solution. It enables practitioners to scan, design, and print custom hand and wrist braces. In the Bespoke Braces process, a patient’s arm is scanned and data is transmitted to cloud-based servers. There, a brace design—customized by the patient and clinician—is created to match the shape of the patient’s individual anatomy. Each brace is then 3D printed—using 3DS’ selective laser sintering (SLS) technology—for optimal comfort, flexibility and durability.

The Bespoke Braces system is comprised of an arm scanner, an iPad app, cloud software, a network of 3D printers, and four revolutionary arm brace designs. This service has recently been expanded to include custom scoliosis braces for children and young adults.

According to the Core77 Jury spokesperson, “This product is a strong example of when customization can be leveraged to its true potential, delivering an experience that is integrated, personal and a strong application of the additive manufacturing processes.”

The robotic exoskeleton—announced by 3DS in February 2014—is the first-ever, 3D-printed, hybrid-robotic exoskeleton “suit.” It was created in collaboration with Ekso Bionics of California. To create a perfect fit for Amanda Boxtel, the paraplegic patient, engineers scanned the contours of Amanda’s thighs, shins and spine. They then created a personalized three-dimensional base to form and shape the required assemblies. Sophisticated mechanical actuators and controls—manufactured and provided by Ekso Bionics—were then integrated with the more fluid components that were 3D-printed from the customized scans to create the first-ever, bespoke robotic suit.

Click here for more on Amanda’s “Suit” and other 3DS’ HC solutions.

C’mon Back!

LAND

3DP Is Beginning To Open Store Fronts On Main Street. Retail Entrepreneurs See Startup Opportunities In Bringing 3DP Equipment, Services, Supplies And Training To The Local Community. Some 3DP Services Are So Novel That They May Make Retail Locations Into Experiential Destinations. Will 3DP’d “Personal Figurines” Create A Craze And Draw A Crowd…?

Lining up outside the Artec Shapify.Me 3DP-Scanning Booth at Asda’s first “Personal Figurine” creation system near Manchester, U.K.

Gotta 3DP crystal ball? Wanna know where the AMR (Additive Manufacturing Revolution) is going? Well, some 3DP gurus and savants think the future is in the past. They say: study the history of the PC in commerce and society, note the milestones, discern the match-ups with AMR and then plot the upcoming path of 3DP development.

All well and good—but I have another prognosticator’s mode.

I suggest you get down into the grassroots and see what is happening at the local retail level—among those small business people who are 3DP true (commercial) believers, early biz adopters, prescient ‘preneurs and money-where-their-mouth-is risk takers.

Sometimes those “entrepreneurs” are actually “intrapreneurs” at large corporations. Sometimes—against all “corporate common sense” (think hyper-conservative, group-think behavior)—major companies will roll the commercial dice.

Let’s take a look at one of those large intrapreneurial companies in the UK — one that continues to make waves with 3D printing. Let’s peruse the 3D printing-based “risky behavior” of ASDA, a major grocery chain. Asda is one of the four largest supermarket chains in the UK, the British arm of Wal-Mart of the US. Another organization NOT noted for its technical (or, these days, any other kind of) risk-taking.

Asda is now, unexpectedly, in the business of offering “personal sculptures”—or MiniMes!—in the hyper-customized form of an eight-inch ceramic figurine. (3D Printing Industry—my favorite worldwide 3DP media company—has been following Asda’s trails.) Let’s envision the new Asda shopping list: a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread and my one unique, 3DP, semi-porcelain “me.”

The figure of the shopper is created and constructed using 3D body (clothed!) scans and a 3D printer. Walk into the Artec “Shapify.Me” booth (a large, open-topped, circular affair, actually big enough for “two-shots”of a pair together) at the Asda’s first installation (in Trafford Park near Manchester) and pose for 12 seconds.

Inside the Artec Shapify.Me 3DP-Scanning Booth at Asda’s first “Personal Figurine” creation system near Manchester, U.K.

This short “exposure time” is a big plus if children or animals are to be “personally sculpted.” Asda states that “Using pioneering full-body 3D scanner technology by Artec [Group of Luxembourg], a 3D image is instantly captured of the customer’s body, complete with facial expression and whatever clothes and accessories they’re wearing [or carrying] at the time.”

“The image is then processed and sent to the ZPrinter 650, a photo-realistic 3D printer manufactured by 3D Systems [Corporation of South Carolina]. An eight-inch tall [full-color] figure is printed out using layers of ceramic powder. Customers can pick up the model a week later.” [Note that Asda—gets another guaranteed interaction with the customer on pick-up-–although the end product could be mailed or overnighted.] This “pick up” mode is a VERY valuable add to the process of brand-building and ancillary-shopping opportunities.

The Asda, full-color, figurine images ARE uncanny. The quality stems in part from Artec’s professional and industrial history in scanning and in part from the 3D Systems professional printer. Artec employs “leading experts in the sphere of capturing/processing of 3D surfaces, as well as face recognition.” And, it shows.

3D scanning/printing of a person could be considered a tangible form of photography. We may be back to the way we once held the 2D photograph in our hands—except now the subject is fully modeled in the Z-axis and can present themselves “live” in the round.

Artec says that their full-body, booth-mounted 3D scanner is the first of its kind in the world.

Asda’s example “Personal Figurines” shown on a tabletop (see iPhone and tea cup for size comparisons) at a supermarket near Manchester, U.K.

At Asda, the 3DP results won’t come cheap for customers. Each figure will cost £60 (or about $102). For now, Asda is only offering the 3D scanning booth at the Trafford Park store. [Hey, if this initiative doesn’t work, the supermarket chain's store-network won’t be widely exposed to failure!] According to Asda, the chain hopes to bring the service to other stores by early September 2014.

OK, here’s the leap of faith in this “risky business” mode and model for the U.K. supermarket chain. To succeed, Asda is “anticipating a big craze for high quality ‘mini-me’ figures and suggests that customers come back wearing other outfits such as wedding attire, graduation robes or even fancy dress so that they can have a figure that is completely unique.”

Asda is—by dint of being a chain of local supermarkets—down in the grassroots gambling on an innovative use of 3DP for regular customers on their premises.

I thought I’d get another opinion from a grassroots 3DP retailer and—OBTW—also a consultant to other retailers interested in employing new 3DP innovations in winning ways and means in their own local stores.

So, I interviewed Liza Wallach Kloski, Co-Founder of HoneyPoint3D, Northern California’s first, and (currently) only, dedicated Retail 3D-Printing Stores. HoneyPoint3D offers rapid prototyping, 3D Printing, 3D Modeling, 3D Scanning, Intro Classes, Business Services, Consultations and 3DP-Focused Corporate Events.

Liza states that “HoneyPoint3D wants to create a thriving resource for the Bay Area’s 3D printing community. Connecting companies, makers and educators with the latest developments in this fast changing [3DP] market.”

HoneyPoint3D has a location in Montclair (Oakland), CA and now one in San Mateo, CA.

Liza further says her company partners with Artec and owns two of that company’s high-end scanners. She opines that a “lot of people are getting into scanning. [They] don’t need a great deal of experience and knowledge. It’s your way to interact with 3D printing [and get started]. This is an easy entry to 3DP…the novelty and the new hottest high-tech. Scanning can be considered modified photography.

“Lots of big box retailers want to get into it…[From a customer-facing point of view] 3D scanning is great way to get people involved [with the store] as a fun and savvy thing to do [with new and exciting 3DP technology].

“The magic of 3DP is to create an object via your imagination…and change the way we interact with our physical environment…I can modify my environment and create a physical product that is one-off.”

Finally, Liza stated that “it’s early!” and Asda has a play. “Supermarkets have the [customer] numbers and the space…for them, 3DP scanning and printing will be a branding play.”

+++

I can also see a “play” for existing, small retailers. Starting with the new 3DP stores—as another add to 3DP’s “experiential destination” magnetism. Further: consider the implications of “personal figurines” as a form of 3DP photography. We may see the rebirth of “photo studios” as “3D studios” delivery portraiture in-the-round.

What other retailers might become 3DP ExperDests? Who provides milestone records now? (Event halls and wedding photographers.) Diaries of life? (Day spas and fitness centers.) Or, spontaneous moments of fun for the capture? (Restaurants and bars.) On a more strategic level, town merchant blocks or shopping malls may wish to provide 3DP “stations”—to help draw shoppers for the good of the retailer community.

All these scenarios suggest that—at the least—the “personal figurines” or “3DP photography” may indeed morph into a fad or craze. Better—and I think more likely—is this technology becomes a long-lasting trend in the way people see themselves and want to be seen by others—and also the basis for Experiential Destinations where such services are on offer.

C’mon Back!

LAND