Stripes, 3D Flowers & The Possibilities of 3D Printing

Alright. I know I say this a lot (but I always mean it!). So here goes. This is my new favourite dress. It features super eye-catching stripes and is, in general, spectacular. I love items of clothing with an element of novelty and this one did not fail to deliver - I was surprised when I opened the package containing the dress, and noticed that many of the flowers are actually three-dimensional! dress - c/o Romwe sweater - Vintage & DIY (cropped) tights - Yoshida (Japan) collar clips - c/o Merrin & Gussy shoes - Body Line belt - Vintage hairband - Claire's (Japan) Speaking of three-dimensional, I was just reminded that 3D printers exist and I've never even talked about them on the blog before! They've got to be one of the coolest inventions and sciencey things ever, I think. But first, if you haven't really heard of 3D printing before, then this is what it's all about: Think of a normal two-dimensional paper-and-ink printer. You send a file to it from your computer, and it prints out ink onto a sheet of paper. 3D printers, instead of using ink, use various materials (like plastics) and layer by layer, using cross-sections of a 3D file that you send to it via your computer, the printer creates your three-dimensional object in real life. For example, this is a citrus juicer that you can download and then print out at home from Thingyverse: But it isn't all plastic homewares. Just recently, scientists from the University of Edinburgh have created a cell printer that can print living tissue. We are getting to the stage where printing out organs from your own cells, that will fit you perfectly and remove the worry of transplant rejection if you are ever in need of an organ transplant, is a feasible technology. And there are some other applications of 3D printing which - while not as revolutionary as that - are still pretty awesome. If you're serious about chocolate, you can order a 3D printer designed specifically for chocolate making, for around $4000. Layer by delicious, chocolatey layer, the printers can make intricate shapes like faces and letters using chocolate as its material. If you're in love with your minecraft creations, it may make you happy to know that you can have your whole little world printed out for you at Mine Craft Print. And I've been happy to see that the fashion industry has also gotten onto the 3D printing bandwagon (images from 3D Printing Industry). You're even able to create your own fashion items, and upload them for people to print out at home at places like Cubify and Thingyverse! (Although personally, I think 3D fashion may be in need of a serious overhaul by some slightly more stylish folk...) So maybe in a few years time, you'll see a blog post from me saying "Oh hey guys, I designed and uploaded this dress last night and you can download it and print it out at home via this link here". And then you'll all switch on your 3D printers, print out the dress I uploaded, and be wearing it that same day. How freaking cool would that be? With the advances we've seen in 3D printing in the last 5 years, surely more comfortable dress fabrics aren't too far away! Are you guys starting to understand why I get so excited about science??? A whole lotta love to you all,