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UC Berkeley Group Working On Creating Inexpensive 3-D Printer Materials
phrackthat writes "A UC Berkeley group, in a bid to drive down the costs of 3-D printing, has been focusing on more natural materials such as salt, wood, ceramics and concrete (the last two, while not naturally occurring, are made of naturally occurring components). The use of these materials create new avenues for architecture, such as printing buildings. Professor Ronald Rael, the head of the project, stated that these materials and the designs they enable will require new IP protections — 'This is going to require some IP protection for designs, so if you design architecture in the computer, you're protected, just as music and movies are.' I wonder if he's ever heard of design patents?"
...has been focusing on more natural materials...
As opposed to what? More metaphysical materials?
Great minds think alike; fools seldom differ.
When it comes to the economics, Professor Rael, like so many others, exhibits a severe lack of imagination.
I can't find the link for this but there is already a business with a huge 3d printer which uses sand/cement. The printer is mobile and can be set up on site.
It was referenced here last year I think.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
People have been doing 3D printing using ceramics and cement for a few years now. Why is this suddenly new again? Entire buildings have been constructed this way using giant printing machines no less. Don't the people at Berkeley or Tech News know how to use Google yet?
"Does this mean people can download your building and print it?" he said. "This is going to require some IP protection for designs, so if you design architecture in the computer, you're protected, just as music and movies are."
Designs are already protected, as they are a work. It's no different than the 3D models we already deal with in the game industry. A person spent a lot of time creating the files, and copyright law already includes such creative work.
In fact if you want to, you can license your architecture designs. If you want to share them with everyone, you can use one of the Creative Commons license. That way nobody can (legally) take your name off it, but it can otherwise be shared freely.
Professor Ronald Rael, the head of the project, stated that these materials and the designs they enable will require new IP protections — 'This is going to require some IP protection for designs, so if you design architecture in the computer, you're protected, just as music and movies are.'
That's putting the cart before the horse.......you haven't even built your product yet, and you're worried, not about what your users will do with it, but how they will legally protect what they do with it. Two steps ahead (not to mention there's already protection).
Spending too much time worrying about problems that don't exist yet is one of the many ways you can sink a startup. It's similar to sitting there dreaming, "what will you do with all your money when we're rich?"
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
3D printing in ceramics, concrete, and wood composites have been around longer than consumer 3D printers. If this wasn't Berkeley, it wouldn't be getting any press coverage.
People have been 3-D printing buildings from natural materials available on site for thousands of years. Somehow they didn't need new IP protections. Other species have been doing it even longer.
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
thinking outside the 3d printer box, ever since viewing the endless suburbs in the texas towns I have envisioned something substantially bigger than the vehicle that transports the space shuttle to the launch pad, advancing through the countryside, ingesting woods, grasslands, soil, and rock, and out the other end comes a suburban street with driveways and houses in move-in-ready state. Materiel for plumbing and electricity might have to be transported into the monster.
For Moore, OK, the thing could recycle the rubble back into homes, adding storm shelters of course.
Science is trying to pump out new technologies faster than governments can ban them or corporations can lock them up with patents.
This is really starting to get interesting...
XKCD:Xeric Knowledge Comically Dispen