3D Printing

Available for over a year

Imagine holding a mini version of yourself. In the near future, you could visit a 3D print equivalent of a photo booth and emerge not with a passport photo but with a plastic, chess piece-sized sculpture of yourself. Click brings that possibility to the BBC Radio Theatre where a 3D scanner is assembled and volunteers are 3D printed in the course of the show. Gareth Mitchell and Bill Thompson are joined by a panel of experts to explore how 3D printing has evolved from gimmicky reproductions of jewellery to life-sized, 3D 'printed' houses on the canals of Amsterdam. The panel includes: Bre Pettis, the CEO of Makerbot; the architect Hedwig Heinsman; Jonathan Meyer from EADS; the poet, Elvis McGonagall and the technical team from 3Dify. (Photo credit: Mini self 3D image of Gareth Mitchell © Gareth Mitchell)