For those of you who like to make your own parts

[HostileJava]

Didn't see this posted yet:

http://www.fabathome.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

[MessyHonda]

cool they are coming to san mateo in may i might go check it out

[2oodoor]

coughs into hand... aakkuuubullshitakk cough cough

looks like a scam, or maybe I just cant grasp the hardware concept and any economical benefits.

[HostileJava]

http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/fabathome.ars
Been reading this news site for the last 8 years or more and they've never posted anything that was a scam unless it was April 1st. I know it's close to the first but they already posted there April Fools article.
Here's an article about the guy running the project
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/may05/1123
Here are two video's of the machine in action:
http://www.fabathome.org/wiki/upload...dDemoMovie.wmv
http://www.fabathome.org/wiki/upload...bDemoMovie.wmv
Edit:
Here's another article about it:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/11/f...r-on-your-own/
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/bu...l?pagewanted=2
You might be right, but that's one hell of an elaborate hoax.

[Estimated Prophet]

I <3 Ars Technica

[2oodoor]

watched the videos, still not getting the investment vs return benefit. Very cool little toy though! interesting stuff

[HostileJava]

watched the videos, still not getting the investment vs return benefit. Very cool little toy though! interesting stuff

It's more about the tinkering for those who can afford expensive toys. They make reference comparing it to the first computer kits. Those were really just expensive toys that eventually led to the personal computer revolution. Same deal applies here. This is just a step in the right direction to being able to download a set of plans and fab up things at home eventually. Like an action figure, an extra soda bottle cap cause yours just rolled under the fridge, an extra cup for your outdoor summer set cause you just dropped and broke one, etc....... It's in it's infancy and only early adopters with alot of spare cash will buy and tinker with the parts. The hope is to eventually have the cost drop and everyone have one in there home connected to the computer just like a printer. Instead of going out and buying a lego set you pay for and download the plans for the parts you'll need to build the deathstar, make the parts and start putting your lego's together

[Jasonf860]

I've seen this thing in action before. It works. It's really, really cool!

[2oodoor]

Hey somebody buy on and make some center caps for aftermarket wheels with H symbol,,, just kidding? Im thinking about making some 'adapters' for factory center caps to fit aftermarket wheels, how's that

I really would like to see a sales demo, I am wondering how the plastic sets up yet has to remain plyable for the 3D shapes as they are being created.