Have the cicadas been hassling you all week? Perhaps its just time you try a new bean paste? Either way, we’ve got you covered with an all new Cool Tools of Doom n’ Stuff! By the way, we love our SolidSmack readers! Have something cool you’ve come across and want to share it on SolidSmack? Don’t hide it in your neck skin! Send it on in to smoth@solidsmack.com. Kick it!

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The SolidSmack Cool Tools of Doom n’ Stuff is GO. This short video features some of the coolest finds we’ve discovered on the web this week.

This week we look at:

DESIGN
XBox ONE Revealed – Big news from Microsoft this week. The XBOX ONE has been revealed to the masses with a slew of new features, including a completely redesigned Kinect. The new 3D scanning device features numerous new recognition inputs, capturing your face, skeletal frame, movement speed, and weight transfer… all captured and displayed in 1080p. Start saving Smoth…the XBox One and Kinect will be available later this year.

Manual Coffeemaker – Been looking for new ways to brew and enjoy your coffee? Coffee? The Manual Coffeemaker by Craighton Berman slows down the brew process with a clear glass, single cup pour over device. The pouring funnel is double-walled for heat retention and drips more slowly than most pour-overs, allowing for a more concentrated brew. Keep an eye out for it on Kickstarter soon.

APPS
Limelight Movie App – Nearly everybody has a list of some sort of their favorite movies, even if they can’t quite place Number One. With the new Limelight app you can archive and share all your favorite Wes Anderson movies with your fellow movie buff friends. Yes, with ability to organize, socialize, and track what your friends have been watching, talking about movies has never been easier. Available on iTunes for $2.

Flickr Redesign - Flickr has ended it’s age-old site design this week with a newly-updated redesign that puts all your photos front-and-center. They are also offering a huge 1TB of space for free, which if you took a photo every hour of every day, would take 65.5 years to fill that space. They have also updated their iOS app to reflect the redesign and are also offering that app for Android. Check those out for free on Flickr.com.

DIY
Concrete iPad Stand – Are you a fan of minimalist concrete designs? I bathe in concrete! Are you looking for a stylish place to stash that iPad while glancing over a recipe in the kitchen? Yes. Well look no further folks: the DIY Concrete iPad stand utilizes a run-of-the-mill plastic popcorn container as a mold with the option to use any material as a shelf. Check it out on Instructables.com under Concrete iPad Stand.

Duct Tape and Tarp Kayak – And if making a concrete iPad stand doesn’t itch your Inner Maker for the week, consider this Duct Tape and Tarp Kayak project. Featuring a PVC pipe frame and water cooler bottle outriggers, this kayak project puts you in the lake for pennies on the dollar. Also on Instructables under Duct Tape and Tarp Kayak.

ROCK AWESOMENESS
Zombie Combat Club-Have you watched too many zombie movies and feel the need to learn tactical zombie combat? Yes, we all have, and ZombieCombatClub.com is your one-stop source for everything you need to know about a hostile zombie takeover. Featuring zombie anatomy, fitness conditioning, weapons, techniques, and combat reports, you’ll never again have to worry about hiding out in a shopping mall eating stale Orange Julius hot dogs for 4 months.

The Return of Arrested Development – And finally, one of the best shows of all time..Arrested Development returns with a new season on Netflix this Saturday. For all the Bluth Family fans out there, life just got a little better as 15 episodes will be released all at once at midnight this Saturday. Get your frozen bananas ready ahead of time and check them out at Netflix.com.

What’s on cadjunkie?
We’ve been getting a lot of great feedback on our Subwoofer design series and have been focusing on getting our members good to go with that. We’re also un-rollling our 101 series here shortly so keep an eye out for that. Be sure to get that free membership now at cadjunkie.com.

What’s on Engineer vs Designer?
What’s on EngineerVsDesigner? Loads of cool interviews and this week we have… a man who wears many hats in the design industry from being Art Director at the New York Times to writing over 150 books on design…. Mr. Steven Heller! Listen on iTunes or at EngineervsDesigner.com!

Ask SolidSmack
And there you have it! Send your cool tool finds to smoth@solidsmack.com, sign up for our newsletter there in the sidebar or ask us a question in the comments or via email about diy, design, tech or anything else. Smoth would love to help.

Nearly a month to the date since they announced the ‘full-color’ desktop 3D printer, botObjects has published new details on their ProDesk3D printer, including specifications, pricing and images. The whole product launch is awash with skepticism from industry insiders due to a lack of physical prints, unrendered product shots, video or detail on how they’re making… well, anything. With the new details, the claim of 25 micron (0.025 mm) print resolution at 175mm per second speeds push it beyond the competition yet again with a few images that “show you the smoothness of finish and the gorgeous colors you can create for your models”. Are the images and price enough to convince you it’s for real? Have a look…

Full-color me skeptical

After our interview with botObject co-founders, Mike Duma (CTO) and Martin Warner (CEO), we were left speculating as to whether a 5-color PLA filament cartridge fed into a dual-extruder head would be capable of blending multiple colors. Joris Peels, expressed his doubts about the printer as did many others across blogs, comments and twitter. Talking with Rich Horne and seeing his amazing multi-color 3D prints provided more perspective into what is currently possible and what the claim of a full-color desktop printer would entail. The new details provide more information, but still leave us asking questions. First, the specs…

• Full color FDM-based printing system
• 5-color PLA cartridge system
• PVA support material cartridge
• ABS supported with additional cartridges (not included in standard package)
• PLA/PVA/ABS filament diameter 1.75mm
• Exterior case dimensions 475mm, 365mm, 365mm (H,W,D)
• Build platform dimensions 300mm, 275mm, 275mm (H,W,D)
• 175mm/s max printing speed
• 25 micron printing accuracy in z direction
• Fully automatic system set up – plug and play
• Auto levelling heated build platform
• Dual extruder head
• Tri-fan air system

Nothing too out of the ordinary, but quite interesting that it features a 5-color cartridge system with a dual extruder head, assuming (since they don’t specify) that the colors are combined prior to being pushed through one nozzle, while the support material is printed through the other. Definitely some magic we (and others) would like to see in action. With the specifications, they also released images, both of the prints and the ProModel software interface. The prints are claimed to have been printed by the ProDesk3D and the software screenshots give a hint of the options and ‘Color Model’ wheel where (we assume again) you select the desired colors for your 3D print. Here are the images (click to enlarge).

Now… ok… I’m sorry, this is all I can take. These are so Photoshop’d it’s ridiculous. I’m actually offended that it is expected for people to believe these are un-edited images. Perspective, shadows, lighting… all off. Are they real prints? More doubts, more questions. I’ve never seen an FDM print without the slightest hint of layering. These show none whatsoever. At the most this shows that a single color is fed through followed by another color for a layered effect. Otherwise, a vertical color shift would be shown, not simply a horizontal shift. No, this is more an exercise it photo-manipulation, vaporware product renders and vector art mock-ups–and most likely the reason we are not seeing this on Kickstarter, since Kickstarter changed their policy on product renderings.

Note: We’ve reached out to botObjects with the request for hi-res images, different angles or any additional screenshots of the software interface with no response. We’ll post an update here if received.

With the announcement, pre-orders are now available. The price? The standard ProDesk3D is available for early order at $2,849 US ($3,249 RRP) and the limited edition ProDesk3D Blue is available for the early price of $3,349 US ($3,749 RRP) with three additional starter cartridges and three additional support material cartridges. Early orders are slated to ship October 1st, 2013.

If you have been wondering if this new printer is nothing but a PR stunt, you’re not alone. A full-color desktop printer would be a fabulous thing, but if you’re familiar with other 3D printer product launches you know this one is unlike any other. While others show photos of the device and videos of the printing, botObjects has shown neither. While others describe the challenges and how they are being funded, botObjects is staying secretive. While others provide a stream of updates and images, botObjects keeps quite. Does that mean it’s not real? No, but with prints at this quality, you would think a video of the build would be shown, if for nothing else than to boost pre-orders.

So, where are you? Are you convinced this printer is legit? Would you pre-order?

While the majority of us may find happiness in 3D prints based off of complicated geometry, there is still a population out there that would love to turn a simple 2D drawing into an extruded shape (cookie cutters anybody?). While the 3D printing market has expanded into 3D print pens and other novelties, the ease of creating a 3D shape with the ease of finger painting has been relatively no-existent…until now.

Cubify Draw Brings 3D Finger Painting to the Masses

“Cookie Cutters, Pendants, Ornaments, Bracelets, and Simple Toys”

While beginner CAD programs such as TinkerCAD and 123D are awesome for introducing somebody to 3D modeling, the Cubify Draw app allows anyone with an iPhone, iPad, or iPad Mini device to create a 3D Print. Content-wise, users can digitally doodle similar to any other iOS drawing app an original idea or lay an image template down to trace. Once the initial sketch is in place, it can be enhanced by adjusting the fill, color, line weight, scale, and joint connections. For printing, the user can upload their drawing directly to the Cubify server to print or download an STL file for home-based printing. What really stands out about this app however, is how Cubify is enabling an entirely new generation of 3D print-smart kids through gamifying the 3D print experience with their entire collection of apps:

“Cubify Draw takes digital doodling to printable reality…this boundary-breaking app is our latest gamified installment in our commitment to democratize content-to-print entertainment on Cubify.”
-Sarah Stocker, Senior Director of Cubify for 3D Systems

Cubify Draw is available for free on iTunes.

For those used to cycling on busy city streets (NYC comes to mind), the need for swift reaction times could be compared to that of catching a fly with your bare hand. With maniac cab drivers and aloof SUV drivers running up and down Broadway, sometimes a simple hand signal doesn’t do the trick…especially at night. Designed by Balázs Filczer, this award-winning helmet design concept is sure to be the bike helmet of the future that aims to make biking in densely-populated areas a little more safe…for both cyclists and everybody else.

The DORA Helmet

Designed with both sleek style and usability in mind, the helmet features a detachable rechargeable battery that powers turn signals, a front headlight, and a brake light all on the rider’s head. Controlled by a Bluetooth handlebar-mounted controller, the rider is able to easily fire off turn signals and braking information. If you saw the recent movie Premium Rush, you’ve no doubt seen a glimpse of how insane riding a bike in NYC can be (even without the ‘Hollywood Factor’):

Of course, skeptics will say that the human head is very sensitive to weight when riding for any given period of time, and this helmet has the potential to weigh quite a bit more than other helmets on the market. Interestingly enough, one of these skeptics commented on Filczer’s YouTube concept video and Filczer was able to answer:

YouTube user JekTorll’s Comment:

JekTorll: that concept will never work and i’ll tell you why: NOBODY. NOOOOBODY wants a helmet that weights over 500g. But thats what you gonna need, if you want to make this think work.
The main-producers try to make helmets as light as possible because you can feel every gramm thats on top of your head.

Designer Filczer’s Response:

Filczer: First discover.. Your thoughts can be spoiled and not the concept.
1.For recreational cyclists, weight is often a secondary concern. Racers and frequent riders, on the other hand, really appreciate the weight savings. DORA was not designed for racers, but it was designed for every day users, who prefer safety.
2. Australia/NZ Maximum of 700 g
Japan: Limit of 800 grams for adult or 650 grams for children.
Other countries and standards says: Acknowledges the desirability of light weight.

With it’s universally-recognizable signals and streamlined design, this is perhaps one of the best helmet designs in recent memory that matches functionality and style for the recreational rider. Filczer won the clothing and accessories category of the International Bicycle Design Competition earlier this year with the design. Let’s hope we see this on the road soon for both the riders and the sometimes not-so-friendly drivers.

To see what else the talented Balázs Filczer has been up to, head over to his site.

Raise of filament rolls in the room–who thinks they can open up a website that allows you to 1) download 3D printable files and 2) upload your own to make some cold, hard cash? I know, you’re thinking, “Egad, what is this genius!? The like has yet been seen!” The reality is there are a lot of websites to both download, upload and share 3D printable files (GrabCAD, Thingiverse, etsy, FabFabbers, etc.) or even sell your creations (Shapeways, Ponoko, Sculpteo, Etsy, etc.), yet a new site is launching with the aim of “becoming the YouTube of 3D files.” iMakr has announced the launch of My Mini Factory coming June 18th (with a Champagne and Canapés launch party at the iMakr store). So, how are they different?

My Mini Factory

You recall the iMakr store opening in London, yes? While quite small (2,375 sq ft), it currently holds the title of “World’s Largest 3D Printing Store” (until Mr. Selfridge opens his 3D Printing Emporium.) The iMakr shop venture is in fact supported by iMakr.vc, a campus/incubator/accelerator for 3D Printing projects, launched by iMakr founder Sylvain Preumont. My Mini Factory is the next project to be launched out of the start-up launcher and focuses on three aspects:

• Download free 3D printable objects
• Upload designs and make cash
• Request for 3D printable objects

Sylvain says, “My Mini Factory aims at becoming the YouTube of 3D files. My Mini Factory shortens the chain between designers and consumers. That’s probably where the third industrial revolution really starts.” It’s rather mind-numbing when people express their website’s startup vision as “the _________ of 3D this or that” for a couple reasons. First, it’s just cliche. Second, iMakr is already setting themselves apart and a comparison like, the “Youtube of 3D files” is just… well, hard to take seriously. Perhaps it illustrates their vision to investors and the early interested. However, they do have one aspect in particular that separates them from the other “Youtube for 3D file” sites. The other sites are focused around the sale of a physical 3D printed good. My Mini Factory is focused around the sale of a digital 3d printable good. While you could sell digital files through any number of websites or your own site, this is where they bring a bit of value to the revolutionaries and dreamers rising atop the mound of traditional manufacturing crushing plastic squiggles.

On board? Is a site for you to sell your 3D printable files attractive?

Invented just one year after the invention of Scotch tape in 1930, the tape dispenser is a unique package design-tool hybrid that can be found in just about every household. Due to the frustration of finding the loose end of tape on a roll, 3M Engineer John A. Borden invented the serrated-edge dispenser to keep the end of the tape away from the roll. Almost a century later, Japanese designer Kouichi Okamoto has redesigned the tape dispenser to create a liquid-like form from the resulting tape cuts.

Liquid Tape Cutter

Based in Shizuoka, Japan, designer Kouichi Okamoto has designed a unique tape cutter for decorating walls and objects with various lengths of black duct tape. Using a thin piece of formed sheet metal featuring a bendable arm to hold the tape roll, Okamoto has effectively redesigned the tape dispenser so that the cuts are convex rather than flat. By alternating between the different convex curves, Okamoto is able to give off the appearance of dripping paint in a relatively fast amount of time:

While this unique tape cutter would sell like hotcakes to DIY’ers, Okamoto designed the tool for himself to use at his studio Kyouei Design, based in Shizuoka, Japan.

As the number of 3D printers purchased each week increases exponentially, many proud new owners of a 3D printer are also learning the limitations of their new device. Chances are, an entire weekend may have been spent calibrating your printer or waiting for that very first test print. But what about the other limitations of your material? Recently posted on Kickstarter, the 3D Printer Test kit offers eight unique sample chip files that allows a user to test everything from ridges to flexibility to overhangs so you’ll know exactly where the limitations and strengths are for your 3D printer…whether it’s a Replicator 2 or a Fortus.

For Pros and Consumers

With the rise of consumer-level personal manufacturing, there will oftentimes be a disconnect between the understanding of material properties and expectations for a final product. As professional toy developers, the designers at 3DKitBash have no doubt done their homework and deciphered an affordable and accurate method for teaching both professionals and consumers how far they can stretch their 3D prints.

We want to help Makers, Inventors, and 3D Explorers do their thing Better & Faster. It’s a passion of ours and one that keeps us constantly on the move.
-3DKitBash

The kit consists of 8 ‘Tolerance Chips’ that each highlight a unique material characteristic to see how your 3D printer performs with various shapes and forms. While your 3D printer and material may excel in one characteristic, it may not do so hot in another, which can ultimately save you a lot of time and money down the road.

The Tests:

The 3D Printer Test Kit Starts at $30 on Kickstarter.

This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new face-smack of great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. This week we’ll be laying down the island vibes with some reggae tunes that will ensure positive vibes all day, mon. Turn up the bass and kick back a little further in your chair as we fire it up with the Expanders and move through a reggae odyssey including Eek-a-Mouse, Yami Bolo, Rebelution, and the wise words of Jahmings Maccow. All fruits ripe, mon!

Have any suggestions for next week’s playlist? How about a playlist specific to a design task? Let us know in the comments!

Ezra Caldwell’s father was a custom wood furniture maker. He grew up playing in the wood shop. He now lives in Harlem and builds custom steel bicycles. He was also diagnosed with cancer, both devastating to his life and what he had built his life around. He was given 8 months to live. That was in 2008. Made by Hand has released another film in their series that covers people who make things by hand. The new film is called The Bike Maker and features Ezra, who tells his story and shows how making bicycles is as much about making time for what’s important as it is about working within constraints.

Living in the Fast (Bike) Lane

“Actually making stuff has always been a drive.”

Fast Boy Cycles is where it all happens–A one man shop that takes on everything from design to fabrication for the one of a kind bikes designed around the person. Many years earlier, Ezra Caldwell had started out on the path of Industrial Design until he became disenchanted with how almost everything he saw was being formed from Styrofoam or done behind a computer. In a moment of inspiration, he switched his major to Dance. He taught dance for many more years and as the years went on, the realization that he didn’t like dance at all grew more pronounced. Trying to quit, he ended up getting paid to teach dance for 9 hours a week, leaving more time and an interest from students in his commuting habits via bike. Once he did finally leave dance altogether, he realized that building complete bicylces for people is what he wanted to do. That was only the beginning of his adventure. The 10 minute film from Made by Hand tells the rest of the story.

Made by Hand / No 5 The Bike Maker

Key takeaways,

• Working in an artform where there are people you look up to provides a lot of excitement and encouragement.
• When you find out you have rectal cancer, and you like riding bikes, and the doctor tells you you can’t ride bikes, your perspective changes.
• You might die tomorrow, but what happens if you don’t?

Ezra on the bicycle building process:

The nicest things I’ve made have been in response to clear constraints. Simply heading to the shop to make something, anything at all, can inspire a kind of paralysis that writers have a name for. As a set of constraints, the bike itself is a pretty good start. It’s an elegant, beautiful design solution. But even there, even with the requirements of a frame and fork and two wheels, there turns out to be a lot of room for variation. It helps me to have a rider in mind. For me, the gears really get turning when I’ve got someone’s personality, skeleton, and needs to work around. So I’m looking for riders. I want to make you a bike that is built to your likeness. Your bike portrait.

If you’re interested in having a COMPLETE bicycle built by Ezra, you can order one though Fast Boy Bikes. Starting at $2200 US for a frame and fork, they don’t come cheap, but you can be sure it will be “built to your likeness.” Ezra also has a process blog on the site and a few process videos on his personal Vimeo channel, showing just what goes into making the custom steel bicycles.

Imagine a crate of trucks that can be shipped on-site, built within a day, then sent to the four corners of the country delivering food, people, animals, medicine or a new shipment of mobile devices. Our first world problem encompass jamming 1000 pieces of $9.99 flat-packed furniture into small, hybrid cars. In developing countries, flat-packed furniture may have a market, but Sir Torquil Norman is betting millions that flat-packed trucks definitely have a market. The Ox, the philanthropic venture of Sir Torquil and in development by Global Vehicle Trust (GVT), is a truck being design and built in Britian with the goal of helping developing countries gain control over the transportation of needed supplies. Now, they’re seeking funding to finish the project.

The flat-packed Ox truck

The key focus for such a truck is developing countries and limited manufacturing. The truck is reportedly capable of being assembled in 12 hours and disassembled in half the time by three men with basic tools. It has various configurations that allow transport of supplies or people, with a 2.2 ton payload capable of a eight 44 gallon barrel hauling capacity or carrying 13 people plus three in the front seat. The Ox runs a 2.2 litre front-wheel drive, diesel engine and is also fitted with a power take-off (PTO) that can pump water, saw wood or run a generator. The cost savings come around shipment and assembly.

Uniquely, it is capable of being flat-packed within itself – so there is no requirement for an expensive box or individual pallets, ensuring freight costs are kept to a minimum. Six OX vehicles, including engines and transmissions, will fit into a standard 40ft hi-cube container. In addition, assembly labour is transferred to the importing country, such as Africa, where local professional companies will be found to assemble and maintain the finished vehicles.

So, what’s the price on one of these trucks? The cost will be between $15,300 US (£10,000) and $38,200 US (£25,000) with the intention it lasts up to 25 years. This is certainly less expensive in comparison to other transport trucks, but not exactly one you grab another of after the kids have been a little too rough with the first one. The target, however, is not the individual, but charities and aid organizations–which still does not quite put that price in the ‘affordable’ range. This is the first flat-packed truck in development, but Mobius Motors has their own Mobius Two SUV with a friendlier target price of $6,000, however you won’t be carrying 16 people or a boatload of supplies very easily in this one.

GVT has not turned to Kickstarter yet, but the announcement about the project was to drum up support and funding. “We have spent around £1 million bringing the OX to the working prototype stage and we need a further £3 million to take the project through to a production-ready status,” said Sir Torquil. “This is why we are now ‘going public’ to highlight the need for investment and support in order to progress the project to completion.” You can contact Sir Torquil via the GVT website to help out with the project.

Source: globalvehicletrust.com
Via Automotive World