Creating real life

3D is fascinating to me at the moment. Not the insipid, headache-inducing versions being pedalled out at the cinema and on new TV’s, but the real life version. 

Firstly, I was fascinated with the Kinect. The Kinect, if you don’t know, is the game control system for the XBox that Microsoft released. But actually, it’s a very low cost (roughly $190) reasonable quality 3D scanner. And for the first time in ages, Microsoft did something seriously clever by not reacting when open source drivers were released for the product, and allowing a Kinect Hack Community to develop. These drivers mean that the Kinect can be connected up to all types of computers and used for some seriously creative outcomes. Consider the mind-blowing, live 3D movie experience delivered by Oliver Kreylos in this clip.

Secondly, I became fascinated with 3D printers, so much so that I am running a Churchill Club event around them tomorrow. For as little as $1,000, you can pick up a machine that will print thin layers of plastic to create whatever object that you have designs for. These devices are getting better all the time and soon we may have a situation where you don’t need to ship in car parts, art, toys and even the machines themselves. You simply buy or create the digital design and get it printed out locally. Innovative communities such as the Connected Community Hacker Space are importing these machines and finding out what problems you can solve with them. Have a look at the video here of a 3D printer, connected up to a Microsoft Kinetic, being used to print out little people on the fly.

Thirdly, I became fascinated where these 3D printers are actually going. Have a look at this TED video where living cells are used in a 3D printer to create new organs. The video shows a fascinating attempt to print a kidney! Although not completely possible just yet, organic material can be printed and Australian firm Invetech has been involved in actually printing blood vessels!

So just as everyone is talking about the digital economy being everything, computing starts creating real life as well.

Brendan Lewis is a serial technology entrepreneur having founded: Ideas Lighting, Carradale Media, Edion, Verve IT, The Churchill Club and Flinders Pacific. He has set up businesses for others in Romania, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Vietnam and is the sole Australian representative of the City of London for Foreign Direct Investment. Qualified in IT and Accounting, he has also spent time running an Advertising agency and as a Cavalry Officer with the Australian Army Reserve.