“It isn’t about 3D printing,” Summit used as a refrain throughout his presentation, introducing the idea of “3D printing-plus.” He explained, “3D printing is a tonic, is an ingredient.”
Applications for 3D printing are more important, he put forth, than the actual technology itself: the critical point is the “plus” of the “3D printing-plus.” That is, 3D printing + philanthropy can lead to a sum far greater than either part; likewise for other applications. Example equations include:
- 3D Printing + Data Visualization = greater information understanding
- 3D Printing + Health Care = improved quality of care
- 3D Printing + 3D Scanning + Health Care = improved medical outcomes
- 3D Printing + Medical Sensing = proactive health care
- 3D Printing + Space Travel = opportunities for long-term life in space
- 3D Printing + Philanthropy = global health challenges addressed
Clearly a common thread here is, in fact, 3D printing. None of the advanced solutions Summit examined and presented for consideration could be possible as they were with 3D printing. But there’s so much more than an extruder or a powder bed at play here, as the other common thread immediately apparent lies in the betterment of real-life problems, with the combinations here providing real-life solutions.
“Can you print this?” Summit spoke of an email he and his team received from 3DS’ CMO/EVP, Cathy Lewis, with a file attached; while they’d expected an .stl or .obj attachment, what they found was a surprise: it was a .wmv file. Following some trial and even more error, Summit’s team eventually realized what they were working with, as they worked toward a physical realization of digital synesthesia. Lewis revealed to them after a time that the sound file was in fact six seconds of recorded dolphin sounds. Once Summit’s team had an approach at hand, he was able to excitedly tell his wife a pretty great sentence:
“We’re using Rhino and Grasshopper and Python to hack dolphins!” he relayed.
Ultimately, the creation Summit’s team came up with produced a visualization of an actual dolphin conversation, in which one dolphin was able to ‘explain’ to another what its previous pen had looked like via echolocation. The means were impressive, but the end result was a wholly new understanding of the depths of these dolphins’ communication capabilities.
“It wasn’t about 3D printing,” Summit said, “it was about visualizing data.”
Moving on to touch on other potential applications for additive manufacturing, Summit mentioned Sugar Labs’ ongoing work toward developing 3D printable food–including the idea that in the future a toilet may be able to analyze the data found in the DNA and gut bacteria of its users, send that data to linked devices, and have a 3D printer in the kitchen prepare specially-designed dishes that could react to existing or potentially developing issues.
From there, it was back to space and on-demand, on-site 3D printing.
“The Martian came out recently, and I know we were all thinking it–what the hell is this guy doing on Mars without a 3D printer?” Summit asked with a grin.
He mentioned the research of Dr. Julielynn Wong, who is developing solar-powered 3D printers that can print medical and other necessary parts anywhere. These printers can be used in rural and otherworldly locations, bringing splints and medical supplies where they might be needed most.
“The reason the brace doesn’t work isn’t that the brace doesn’t work–it’s medically sound. Have you tried to make an 8-to-10-year-old girl do something she doesn’t want to?”
The low-profile brace possible through 3D printing isn’t just functional, it can be fashionable. The youths wearing the braces can take a part in designing them to their liking, and the slim-fit profile is unobtrusive and takes away the stigma that can be attached to wearing one regularly during the often-called ‘awkward years’ of life.
“The brace can be fashion she gets to wear, not medicine she has to wear,” Summit said. “You get to choose fashion, you don’t get to choose medicine.”
From the start of Bespoke, Summit’s mission has been focused on bringing a human element to healing–and that initially began with prosthetics. He wanted to turn what had been “fairly mechanical” pieces into a functional, artistic “homage” to the human body, “treating it as an art object.” And “that,” he said, “is what led me to 3D printing.”
From legs custom made for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing to a design for a Hollywood actress who requested a “chrome fishnet stocking” design, the prosthetics Summit has designed and worked with his team to create keep the focus on, above all, the person they’re intended to help. Keeping the human element in any medical device is a primary focus, and helps to ease a difficult need. He also works with e-NABLE to create individual, high-quality, low-cost hands.
“It’s less about printing a hand…it’s a crowd-sourced, nimble, philanthropic, distributed manufacturing,” he said.
Another push of Summit’s is his hope that trade shows like Inside 3D Printing might benefit from the exhibit hall–instead of printing a neat, but not necessarily useful, object to show off the capabilities of machinery, Summit referenced the popular rook design that is so often created for this purpose.
“Let’s ditch the rook, let’s print the hand,” Summit said.
If trade show floors used their dozens of running 3D printers to craft e-NABLE hands, there could only be benefits all around. The machines are showcased–and the hands could be shipped off (insert Summit’s comment about “international arms trade” here) to help those who need them most.