Creativity takes center stage for this edition of your Engineering360 News Brief.

The World Maker Faire

The New York Hall of Science in the New York City borough of Queens recently played host to the 8th Annual World Maker Faire. Billed as the “Greatest Show and Tell on Earth,” there were ample opportunities for hands-on making and innovation, as well as demonstrations of 3D printing, microelectronics, drones, robotics, virtual reality and more. Maker Faires are a celebration of the technology-influenced, grassroots DIY community known as the Maker Movement. They began in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006, and have been going strong ever since. In addition to the annual flagship Faires in San Francisco and New York, there are numerous “Mini Maker Faires” that take place in communities all around the world. Here in upstate New York, the city of Troy also played host to a much smaller Faire that was integrated with its annual Enchanted City Steampunk festival.

iPhone X and 3D Scanning

Apple’s new iPhone X, which was announced at the company’s keynote address on September 12, won’t have a home button. Instead, its Face ID system will use depth-sensing technologies to map and recognize a face, and to unlock your phone. According to 3D printing magazine All3DP, the sensors that make up the Face ID system—a dot projector, infrared camera and flood illuminator—could also be used for highly-accurate 3D scanning. iPhone isn’t the only device getting outfitted with this level of powerful sensor technology: Sony has also introduced an Android phone with 3D scanning capability, the Xperia ZX1. It’s a trend that All3DP says they’d like to see continue, as many—even in the 3D printing community—do not have easy access to 3D scanners.

3D-Printed Scenery

While we’re on the subject, an opera that opens at a theater in Rome later this week will be performed on a set created by 3D printing. Fabricated by Italian 3D printer manufacturer WASP, the set is rendered in white-colored PLA and took three months to print. Five printers were used to create the set as 223 separate pieces that were subsequently shipped to the theater, assembled and affixed to a wooden carrying structure. The set concept for the production relies on the appearance of building deformation to create an altered perception of reality. The creative team for the production felt that 3D printing would best allow them to achieve that effect.

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