

Makers unite - the revolution will be home-made - soitgoes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19347120

======
digitalengineer
Here's another one: The Storm Umbrella (can withstand 65 miles p/hour winds).
<http://www.stormparaplu.nl/> Created by a student in Holland that got sick
and tired of today's umbrella's.

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digitalengineer
Like the Indian entrepreneur who took on Proctor & Gamble and build his own
DIY machine for making low-cost sanitary napkins.
[http://www.mamamia.com.au/health-wellbeing/the-man-who-
wore-...](http://www.mamamia.com.au/health-wellbeing/the-man-who-wore-a-
sanitary-pad-to-help-his-wife/)

~~~
alid
I love that on so many levels! Especially as they're microfinancing the
machines to provide local employment. As for the revolution, it's like they
say - the future belongs to the creators, the innovators, and the
entrepreneurs.

~~~
digitalengineer
Startling to know how it is possible to invent, create and make a nice profit
selling sanitary napkins for _a fraction_ of the price of the existing ones.
Makes you think about what else we are paying way to much for.

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klez
I think the article misses one important point. Most of the components these
makers use are still being done in factories. And, almost surely, if you want
to mass produce those makers' stuff you'd still need to approach a factory.

Unless what they mean is that there won't be a need for mass produced items
anymore as soon as a lot of makers around the globe can freely reproduce other
makers' designs.

~~~
e12e
The history of the Printrbot kickstarter project[1] and business[2] provides
an interesting anecdote. The original idea was to make available affordable 3d
printers, compatible with repraps (that is, mostly reproducible by other 3d
printers, except for electronics, motors, power supplies and a handful of
standard metal parts that can be bought cheaply anywhere) -- but as the
popularity exploded, they realized it would be easier and cheaper to provide a
version that was mostly laser cut -- they had exploded past the level where
large scale manufacturing became cheaper.

It is also interesting to note that the laser cut version is capable of
producing the parts needed for the other, self-reproducible design.

There are two parts to this revolution so far: Designs prototyped on a reprap
can be printed/cut in any material, at any scale -- from wood to aluminium.

Designs that work in abs plastic: cups, glasses, lamps, sockets, casings for
certain electronics, dolls, toys, action figures, clips, replacement parts for
various items around the house -- they can all be printed at home, right now.

See for example the updates for the Hex Bright[3] kickstarter project -- the
first prototype parts are 3d printed in plastic, the final design is in
aluminium.

This is indeed a revolution, and it will change industry. Maybe not _all_ of
industry, but a large part of it.

Think about it: if you can prototype it, you can order 500.000 copies of it.
That by itself is significant.

Then consider the fact that the price of milling and printing equipment is
moving into the range where individuals can bootstrap themselves, also for
producing industrial strength parts -- and significantly building the parts
needed for production equipment -- and we are closer to a democratization of
the means of production than we have ever been.

[1] [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/printrbot/printrbot-
your...](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/printrbot/printrbot-your-
first-3d-printer)

[2] <http://printrbot.com/>

[3] [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/527051507/hexbright-
an-o...](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/527051507/hexbright-an-open-
source-light)

[edit: formatting]

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z303
A video of Chris Anderson - Makers: The New Industrial Revolution talk from a
few weeks back

[http://www.watershed.co.uk/dshed/chris-anderson-makers-
new-i...](http://www.watershed.co.uk/dshed/chris-anderson-makers-new-
industrial-revolution)

