Friday, November 29, 2013
Whoa, This Handheld Router Only Cuts Where Needed To Reveal 3D Models
gizmodo.com: Using motion sensors and a highly-accurate magnetic tracker, the computer is able to tell exactly where the tip of the cutting tool is at all times, automatically stopping the spinning bit when it hits material that's not supposed to be removed. So it's almost impossible to make a wrong cut or a mistake.
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22 comments:
Why don't we integrate a sensory system like this into regular milling machines. one of the biggest pains for machining is placement and zeroing the project on the table your working from. With a sensory system like this you could easily prevent those mistakes.
This tool is very cool. It seems like it would be able to operate much more quickly than a 3D printer, but achieve similar results. It also seems to be applicable to a wider variety of crafted objects than the CNC mill. The surface of the objects, however, seems to be consistently rough. This makes sense, and was explained in the video as an aesthetic decision, but it will be cool to see how this issue is resolved to broaden its applications.
This looks interesting but I don't really see the point. I guess it will be useful for creating one-off sculptures but not for precision pieces since every piece will be slightly different. The results are without a doubt cool for what they are but until they can make the results more consistent it seems that this will have limited applications. The technology is definitely cool and could be used for other milling applications to help with zeroing or even getting rid of the need to all together. I would be interested in seeing how this technology will be integrated into existing milling techniques.
I think this type of tool is great for artistic projects, maybe if you want to create an object that has a since of style to it. If you wanted to create an object that was accurate to a 3D model though, obviously this wouldn't be the best choice. My favorite part of the video are the visualizations at the end of a user's tool path in relation to the 3D model. I think the differences in approaches that users might take to complete a milling could be very interesting and it would be incredible to compare the order or priorities of an artistic person versus a non-artistic person and an adult versus a child.
OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS SO COOL AND I WANT ONE! Responding to Philip, the point of this machine is not so much for being able to create ten replicas of a single model, but instead to have one person be able to carve their own piece based on a computer 3D model. I really like this product because there is no way I could screw up a piece I would be sculpting. The tool actually stops before I would have an opportunity to shred my model. Also, the scale of the model can be big if multiple people can work on one at the same time. A 3D printer always has a size limit (obviously) but this system is a way to not have an exact limit which I think is pretty cool.
I'm with Philip on this one. I don't see the point of this tool. Yeah, it's pretty cool, but what are the applications in which this can actually be used? An artist wanting to sculpt a piece would have the skills needed to actually carve the piece, and may not know how to make a 3D model of the piece on a computer. People who want to fabricate a 3D piece from a digital 3D model would have the knowledge to be able to draft the thing on the computer, but then the piece doesn't turn out the exact same way it was drafted. I don't understand who the target audience is. Yeah, the thing is pretty cool and the technology can be applied to other things, but why would you want to spend all of those hours drafting something in 3D for it to not turn out that way in actuality? It seems like a pretty expensive tool that comes with a large learning curve (in the area of 3D computer drafting) to just be cool.
I like what these guys are doing here. After reading all the comments here I have a few ideas about what the point of this sort of tool might be. It's true that a sculpture might not have the skills to use computer modeling software and that they might not be able to use this tool as a result. On the other hand I think that people with sculpting skills might be able to use this tool by starting off with someone else's model (sketch up warehouse) and then working free hand. It's also true that people with CAD skills would be able to use CNC routers and similar CNC devices. Sometimes these other tools are just right for the job, but not all the time. For example a few months ago I was CNC routing a mask out of foam. Because of the complex curved shapes of the mask the CNC router had a very hard time calculating the tool paths and the job took a very very long time. Such a long time in fact that I needed to stop it early and finish up with a band saw and sand paper. The problem was that the CNC router didn't know what parts of the mask I really needed to get finished that day. If I was able to use this handheld router I would be able to cut the most complex parts out and then do the more simple parts by hand. Another reason this would have been helpful is it make adjustments as I cut. Often with a CNC machine you don't see the problems with the model until it's partly built, much like seeing a typo after printing out a paper. This tool can deal with that sort of thing very easily. Another major benefit to this tool is that it has the potential to be far far cheaper then other styles of CNC machine due to not needing complex motors and maniacal parts. This means that people who might want some of the benefits of CNC routing, but can't get it to it due to the high cost will be able to get started. Something that no one has commented on yet and that they didn't talk about in the video is that this is a 6 axis router. Most routers you might come across are only 3 axis. All classical CNC routers that are 6 axis are very very expensive (even compared to the 3 axis one). The big advantage to 6 axis is that it allows you to make under cuts and thus far more complex types of objects. This is something very different from other CNC tools. It has some different advantages and some different disadvantages. Over all it's a very cool tool, and I would love to have one.
This is a pretty cool tool, but I agree with Jess and Philip, I don't really see an application yet. Although it might get you the basic shell of a 3D model, the whole next point of this tool is to have the artist take the freedom and override the tool. If an artist wants to do that, I feel they should learn to have the freedom from the beginning. I think that taking this tracking and finding other options for it would be better in the end.
This tool is pretty amazing. I think it could be a valuable tool for artist and could take sculpting and 3-D printing in an entirely new direction. As it stands, I don't know if it has any practical uses. However, I wonder if the technology used here could be modified to make identical pieces and as a result be used in a practical way.
I have been thinking about handheld 3d routers for a while now...and now that MIT is on the case, of course it's a thing! My only question is how it knows where it is in x, y, and z. Normal mills, or printers for that matter, all have a "home" and move on fixed tracks. If a person is moving the device, I would imagine that this task of locating in absolute space gets really tricky. If the machine can compensate, then I see the success...but without putting the device in a solid relative plane...I'm impressed!
A very interesting tool indeed. Its cool to see the different directions that people are taking 3D fabrication and milling. I love that instead of just being all precise and repetitive people are choosing to implement art and turn it into a thing of beauty. Can't wait to see where this goes.
This seems like a really cool idea for a tool, but besides having a use in the art world I'm not sure what it's purpose is. Maybe in a few more years it will be refined enough to have a place in shops, but at this point I'm not sure. If it ever does reach that point though, it seems like a great way to be able to design three dimensional objects and not be limited by the size of a 3D printer to actually produce them. I also really like that multiple people can work on the same model at once. The technology behind this tool is awesome, and it could has great potential for future uses in shops. As of now though, it seems like a tool for fairly precise models that have a texture to them that may be useful to people who need to carve things but aren't super concerned with precision.
I think that this tool at the moment can really only be used for artistic purposes where precision is not necessary. But if this technology is developed further and and a higher precision is available then this tool could be incredibly useful. It would allow for extreme precision without requiring it from the user. It would prevent the tool operator from making any mistakes because it could know when it was about to make one.
I agree with Michael on this. This tool could be used for more than traditional uses in milling, it could definitely be used for artistic purposes. When stopping to think about the possibilities of a machine like this, for both practical and artistic uses, it is actually really cool and intriguing to see where this tool will end up and what it has created along the way.
Wow! Very cool, it seems like even a simplified 2D version of this tool would be incredibly useful fro freehand cutting complicated curves on a flat surface. It does seem like carving a 3D model from a solid block would be a roundabout process, as in order to carve the whole model, you would have to wander the tool around the surface until the bit spun up and did its thing until you reached an area that was not supposed to be carved. With a purely computer controlled system, it is thinking about where its going next, whereas with this, it feels kind of like a “guess and hope” method.
omg I need one. I don't have a problem with understanding 3d concepts necessarily. But i do have a problem just letting a computer do all of my caving for me. But when you are carving out your own product one little notch out of the wrong place can be devastating. This tool would allow you to both make your own thing but also protect you from making any mistakes. Im sure it would also function much faster than a 3D printer. Ive been wanted to carve a giant 4X4 that my friend is turning into a coat rack. But I didn't want his coat rack o just be a giant ugly 4X4, this tool would be perfect! Lets get one. The only thing is it seems like it would be really heavy.
Once you have a 3D model of what you want the end product to be 3D printing seems like a more accurate production method. With that said this technology would be a great compliment to a 3 axis CNC because the 3 axis is not able to cut out the shapes in 3 dimensions where there are voids on the side or bottom of the unit. This is a great way of idiot proofing the carving tools to keep people from marring or breaking important piece. I see a great application for this being when you work with a high cost medium. Many times you need to keep the look of hand carving while having the idiot proofing of a machine and this could do this. I really wonder about the reliability of this technology.
I think the most significant aspect about this tool that helps it stand out from other 3D modeling software, is that the user does not really seem to be limited by what size the project can be. With traditional 3D printers, you are limited to what size you can build your project. This tool is interesting because you seem to be limited only by the size of your material. This router would be the most practically when you are trying to create something that is not standard size for normal 3D printers.
This is really awesome! While large scale routers are cool and all, but this little guy is awesome! If I had one, I would make stuff with it all the time. You could make ornaments, trophies, little gifts, and of course, models, with it. It may not give the sharpest results, but it gets the point across for something so small. It also looks faster (and more fun) than a 3D printer, through maybe not as accurate. I like that it is "user-friendly" in how it is automated to some degree. This tiny routing tool is fantastic!
WHATT!!! So that is crazy and quite bazaar. Not really sure what I would really use it for or what it is for. So yet again very cool technology. The ability to stop the motor before you curve away to much material is what I find the most fascinating. I really want to try one, so we should laminate a massive block of wood, like 4'x4'x4' and curve something out of it. Could it be hooked up to a chain saw and we could carve ICE!! What other things could be do that we do not really need to do? We could take it the arctic and curve a glacier!! Game ON!
The sentence that ruined my day: "This could basically turn anyone into a Michelangelo when we're all able to buy one." Isn't that great?! We're all going to be Michelangelo!! And we won't even have to try!! Ugh...
You're never going to be Michelangelo, and neither will I. But the saddest part is maybe you're never even going to get to be yourself, or who you may have been. We keep thinking we can replace true creativity and study and hard work and failure and all the things it takes to be an artist with something we can buy. We keep fashioning tools that make it "impossible to make a wrong cut or a mistake," as if that's what makes something good. You think Michelangelo was worried about making a mistake while he was carving his third Pieta? Can we conceive of how many mistakes, heartbreaks and utter failures it takes for someone to come to the point where they can achieve something like that broken, half-finished statue and still it leaves you awestruck?
Now I realize I'm being a little unfair here. I don't think Mr. Liszewski really believes this little gadget is a gateway to personal artistic salvation for the whole world. It's just another gadget and he has the dubious task of writing something about it for Gizmodo and their sponsor, Radio Shack. I guess everyone has to eat. I just wish he hadn't brought Michelangelo into it.
This is crazy cool. At first the idea concerned me a bit. When technology and exactness are used too much for artistic purposes I tend to feel the art is being taken away from the artist. However, I recently listened to a Radiolab podcast that made me change my view. It was about music and how the introduction of technology has altered what is possible for HUMANS to create. For example, beat boxing was never a thing until electronic music came around. After that, humans began to IMITATE these machines and their strange sounds. As a result, a whole new spectrum of human-made music was opened. In the same way, this router, and technology like it, may be essential in order for artists to find new methods. The artist creates, the machine perfects, then the artist imitates and further innovates what the machine could do. It's a cycle, and perhaps without the introduction of technology this cycle would have ended long ago.
There's the podcast. It rocks: http://www.radiolab.org/story/313542-dawn-midi/
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