The Road to 3D Printed Guns

Colt CM901 Assault Rifle with a blue 3D printed lower reciever

              People have been attempting to 3D print guns since 3D printers first hit the market but not many of them work and the ones that did were not as powerful as a normal gun and would commonly break after the first shot. One group of people were able to successfully build a handgun out of all 3D printed parts but if I remember correctly, it did not survive long and was unable to use more poewrful rounds. However, a member of Printedfirearm.com, a website that has been devoted to trying to print guns for awhile now, was able to develop a fully functions lower receiver for a Colt CM901 rifle. The printed print is able to withstand the force of firing up to a 7.62 mm bullet and can be adjusted to also fire a 5.56 mm bullet. The creator of the printed part has so far allegedly shot around 100 rounds of ammunition using the part without any signs of damage to the part yet. The part was also printed using only a $500 XYZ DaVinci printer and unspecified plastic filament. The lower receiver for one of these guns is not the most important part of the gun, but it leaves many to believe that someone may be able to print a fully functional and powerful assault rifle using a 3D printer and no one would ever be aware if someone was printing 3D guns. That day is not going to be anytime soon though according to printedfirearm.com. Some people are also just seeing this as very bad publicity for 3D printers as they slowly begin to grow in popularity and believe that it may send 3D printers into a downward spiral until the government begins to try and ban or put restrictions on the printers.

Future Firefighters

A "Robot on reins" in a smokey cave

          The King's College London and Sheffield Hallam University have developed a new type of robot to potentially save a firefighters life. Unlike the actual robot dogs as mentioned in one of my previous posts, these robots are made to sense any objects that may be blocking a firefighters path while they are in the fire. The robots are equipped with tactile sensors that enable them to detect any objects that it might run into. As stated by an article on sciencedaily.com " firefighters could save vital seconds moving through fires, thanks to revolutionary reins that enable the robots to act like guide dogs".  As the robot encounters an object it emits vibrations and other signals that travel through the reins to the firefighters hand that are supposed to be able to inform a firefighter of and objects size shape and stiffness. In theory the robots should be very beneficial to firefighters during fires, especially when minimal time is available. No matter how well a firefighter may know the layout of a building or house, during a bad fire the firefighters face a struggle with very low visibility caused by the smoke and dust. And even if it was a well-known house to a firefighter, fires could cause a wall to fall and if the firefighter does not notice it then their life may be in danger. The robots are programmed to sense any hesitations and movements made by the person in control and have the availability to adjust their movements in orer to compensate for the human controller. They may even be able to be programmed to eventually predict the users next steps and detect a firefighters level of trust in it.
         However, the creating team did not release too many specific details of the robot yet causing several question to arise, such as:

• How much do these robots cost to make?
• Will these robots become a common thing for every firehouse?
• What is the melting point of these robots or what is the max heat that they can withstand?
• How much do these robots weigh?
• How long would they take to set up on the scene of a fire?

Original Article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150325082029.htm

The UniMoto

        So throughout our First Year Seminar class, we have came across topics such as the Segway that was created by Dean Kamen along with Open-Sourced inventions such as the 3D printers mentioned in one of my recent posts. I am sure that almost everyone reading this also knows what a Uni-cycle is as well. The thing is that the Segway was not as big of a seller as Dean Kamen thought it would be. However, the Segway was not a complete bust as the technology that was incorporated into it is still being incorporated into new inventions. One relatively new invention that this technology has been incorporated into is called the SoloWheel.
         As I was walking back home after one of my classes, I noticed a kid riding one of these "contraptions?" and  decided to look more into what it actually was when I got back. So to put it in a nutshell, the SoloWheel is a single wheeled Segway without the handles or can be thought of as a motorized, self-balancing Uni-Cycle without a seat or pedals. But sadly this invention runs for around $1800 putting it out of reach for many potential users. In response to this, in Decemeber 2011, the "UniMoto" open source project was started to try to make a cheaper version of the SoloWheel. The goal was to have a finished prototype for its release by March, 2012 that sold for around $800. I have ever only seen that one SoloWheel/UniMoto (do not know which it was) so I am guessing that they were not very popular either, but none-the-less they are still pretty cool little things and would most likely be fun to have.
         I have not found any recent updates about the UniMoto but the original plans consisted of a frame that was made out of Lexan (some sort of plastic maybe?) that compacted the wheel, batteries, and motor together. The plans consisted of having four Lithium-Polymer batteries that would be able to power the UniMoto for about an hour and for speeds up to fifteen miles per hour. The foot stands would also be able to fold up making the UniMoto more portable. I said before, I did not come across anything else about this Open Source "UniMoto" project but there has been several other "Motorized Unicycles" / "Single Wheeled Segways" (whichever you prefer to call them) that have been made since this idea was originally started.

Link to UniMoto Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZhkoLbFjT8