In the past we’ve seen 3D printers create all kinds of solid objects, such as bone-like material used for medical purposes, to even replicating a full-sized motorcycle just because they could. So what’s next in the future of 3D printing? Well as it turns out, maybe 3D printing soft toys could be next.
Disney Research has recently come up with a new type of 3D printer which they claim will be able to print soft and deformable objects using layers of off-the-shelf fabrics. According to their description, “Our printer employs an approach where a sheet of fabric forms each layer of a 3D object. The printer cuts this sheet along the 2D contour of the layer using a laser cutter and then bonds it to previously printed layers using a heat sensitive adhesive. Surrounding fabric in each layer is temporarily retained to provide a removable support structure for layers printed above it.”
Now while this does sound like a pretty novel idea that could lead to the creation of custom-made soft toys, it could potentially be used to create interactive objects as well using conductive fabric attach to sensor. Given that this was done by Disney Research, we can only imagine that the company could probably use this 3D printer to create interactive toys made out of soft material that might appeal to kids.
In one example they even printed a phone case with a fabric antenna that could harvest electricity from the phone’s NFC to blink an LED. Pretty cool stuff, huh?
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