Kids will soon be able to design and fabricate their own candy bars using a 3D printer being designed by Cornell University to use kid-friendly materials, including cookie dough and chocolate, as well as Play-Doh, plastic and metal. Look for consumer 3D printers for fabricating personalized products at home within seven years. R.C.J.
Here's what Cornell says about its own work: The Fab@School laboratory will introduce students to the excitement and power of digital fabrication, empowering them to imagine, invent, collaborate and create geometric structures, simple machines, and usable products. They will learn engineering and other STEM skills in this compelling environment. The Society of Manufacturing Engineering states that personal digital fabrication will bring "revolutionary changes for manufacturers and consumers." The Fab@School coalition brings together two colleges of engineering, two colleges of education, and a non-profit association to address educational implications. The infrastructure developed will include hardware, software, a curriculum, and an online collaborative space. The Fab@School laboratory will make digital fabrication practical and scalable in elementary and middle school classrooms for the first time.
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