MakerTron Design Contest: Pinshape & Mold3D Invite Designers to Build Open Source 3D Printable Robot

Pinshape likes to keep the energy in the 3D industry pumping, and the creative juices flowing, motivating the community with countless dynamic challenges, offering chances to win everything from 3D printers to landing that dream job. And now they’re engaging designers to use the power of 3D printing for creating Galactic Robots in the MakerTron Design Contest that both Pinshape and Mold3D are sponsoring together.

Contestants are off to a good start for this formidable challenge–for rebuilding a destroyed race–because Mold3D has already taken on the challenge of designing the robot bodies. If you are entering, all you have to do is download the body for the robot and then set out to create the head and limbs. Mold3D even offers extra help for everyone in the form of a video giving instruction on how connectors can be effectively scaled (check out the tutorial below).

The idea is that the entire group of designers will be working, in the end, to have contributed to a comprehensive but open source 3D printable robot. The included tutorial is very specific in showing designers how to understand how all the parts should fit on the MakerTron torso.

Detailed measurements are provided along with instructions on how to understand the template as well as figuring out how to make sure 3D designs for limbs work with the overall structure required for the comprehensive challenge project.

“It’s more technical of a challenge [than] we’ve had before, but our community is ready for it,” Lucas Matheson, CEO and co-founder of Pinshape, told 3DPrint.com.

An open letter is issued to contestants, imploring them to help ‘Remix,’ of the MakerTron people, in his mission to save his “once proud and prolific species of friendly robots from the planet Kwota.” Remix is the only one left after an apocalyptic supernova explosion.

“By the time our system detected the impending doom, we only had one hour to implement a contingency plan. I was informed by central intelligence that a cargo pod full of Centrally Operating Robot Engines (C.O.R.E.s) loaded with all the data on how to rebuild our species had been launched into a safe zone in space – then all communication went black,” explains Remix. “I was able to recover these C.O.R.E.s, but my fuel supply was low, so I couldn’t stay and wait for others. As a basic technician, I don’t have the skills to design the parts needed to build more MakerTrons, but you do, which is why I need your help.”

The robot goes on to explain that what’s needed are:

• C.O.R.E.s – the Centrally Operating Robotic Engine is essentially the torso
• Heads – allowing for excellent vision, translation skills, acute hearing and large amounts of computing power
• Arms – can include tools, grapplers, etc.
• Legs – these robotic limbs can be long and lean, short and sturdy, and even equipped with peripherals like rockets or wheels.

Parts are meant to be interchangeable and upgradeable.

“Our goal with this contest is to help bring awareness to the power of community, and see what can happen when like-minded creative people work to create something collaborative,” says Mold3D Co-Founder, Edward Quintero. “Although each design will be judged based on individual merit, your creation will remix with other community designs once the contest is over. Combinations and variations will be endless and your design will be part of this collaborative group project, which is pretty cool stuff.”

You have until October 15 to enter, from anywhere in the world. Winners take home $3800+ in cool 3D printing prizes, sponsored by XYZprinting, PixologicTM, Wacom, and Mold3D Academy. Among the prizes:

• Two different 3D printers from XYZprinting
• A license of ZBrush from PixologicTM
• A design tablet from Wacom
• A 3D design course from Mold3D Academy
• Coverage from Pinshape’s blog and social media channels

“We’re really excited to see how the community feeds off each other in helping the MakerTron species come back to life. It’s a fun backstory and an interesting challenge for designers from both a creative and technical standpoint,” says Pinshape’s Matheson. “We all know how important community interaction has been in the rise of 3D printing, and this is a great opportunity to put that power towards something fun that everyone can take part in.”

Interested designers and makers can visit the MakerTron Design Contest on Pinshape to learn more and submit their entries. Are you planning to enter a design for the robot? Discuss in the MakerTron Design Contest forum thread over at 3DPB.com.