Breakthrough 3D Scanner

In CIO Today:   " ... The MakerBot Digitizer consists of a turntable with two lasers and a camera that can scan objects up to 8 inches in size. MakerBot says its Digitizer can capture details as small as 0.5mm and that its dimensional accuracy is within 2mm. Scans take about 12 minutes to produce. MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis has called the $1,400 Digitizer a "game changer." ... "

3D Printing Support for Windows 3.1

In SlashGear:  Another indication of advances supporting remote manufacture.  " ... What the team at Microsoft is doing this week is going through how users of the next-generation update of Windows 8 will be able to work with 3D printing from the core of the software. This sort of update means that Microsoft – one of the most influential technology companies in the world – has confidence enough in the future of the 3D printing universe that they’re willing to dedicate real time to it for the common user. ... " 

Complex Global Supply Chains

In GigaOM:  " ...  Thanks to the growth of 3D printing, intelligent robots, and open-source hardware, tomorrow’s supply chains will be faster, smaller, cheaper, and local. ... " .   I agree that 3D printing will make strides in the near future.  3D printing technology will also allow us to differentiate items as well, minimizing what we need to ship.  Many items will thus be remotely manufactured by transmitting bits rather than entire item..   But we still need large and complex items that are composed of atoms, and get these to the right place.  Note my other explorations in this space.

3D Design Delivered by Ponoko

(update)

My son pointed me to design page of Kyle A. Koch: " ...  a (former) industrial design student at the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, known as DAAP. This is where I share things about design, technology, creativity, and everything else that catches my eye ... ". 

In particular see his use of Ponoko, a remote fabrication system that I have read about, but never really experienced.  More about Ponoko.   See his personal show room for Ponoko products. For example, a  device for taking pictures of pages using an IPhone.  

More about Ponoko's history.

And a recent ReadWriteWeb article on Ponoko.

3D Mapping Interiors

In Wired:  A camera that can map an interior space and digitize it.  An impressive ability that I can think of some retail uses for.    " ... This fall, MatterPort is releasing a camera that can scan, compile, and make cloud-ready a 3-D model of your house, all in about 45 minutes. “We’re moving towards a world where people can send 3-D realities to each other,” says CEO Matt Bell. The pitch may sound a little New Agey, but with a $3,000 price point and simple iPad interface, the goal is practicality. ... " 

3D Interactive Playground

Had not heard much from Disney of late in the digital world.  But now an interesting play. Reminiscent of other simulation world ideas, which are usually difficult to pull off.  Now can it be used to accurately mimic real spaces?  In one experiment we built a system that combined physical touch and a system to design store spaces.   " ... Disney,a company that knows a thing or two about bringing characters off the page and into the real world, has produced a prototype of a new kind of interface that does just that.  A tiny mobile projector beams out a figure that moves around a surface embedded with invisible infrared-absorbing sensors--a book, a desktop, a game board, a table, or a wall. A camera attached to the projector tracks the figure and reads the code printed in the infrared-absorbent ink, which causes the figure to interact meaningfully with the sensed object. A projected figure can track mud from an illustration of a puddle, or jump up and down on a paper trampoline. ... "