This past week our class had two guest speakers, both of whom spoke about how 3D printing is revolutionizing the areas they operate in. In addition to learning more about the applications and power of 3D printing in these areas, we also collaborated with our teams to finalize our final project ideas.

Guest Speakers

Our first guest speaker was Alan Amling, the VP of Corporate Strategy for the United States Postal Service (UPS). Amling has extensive experience working in logistics, product development, and distribution. He talked abut how 3D printing has become an integral part of UPS’s operations. Opening of a 3D printing factory in Kentucky is going to allow them to streamline the manufacturing and logistics processes.

I researched some more about ow 3D printing is impacting UPS operations, and I came across a Forbes article explaining how in 2016 UPS started on a mission to be abel to print out plastic parts and ship them to any location the world. It was quite interesting to see that two years later UPS now operates its own 3D printing factory. Another part of Alan’s talk that I found really interesting was the idea he mentioned of “best fit.” He used the example of shoe sizes and explained that they currently only exist in 0.5 increments (i.e. 8, 8.5). However, with 3D printing technology Alan stated that in the future, for all products, exact sizes and measurements will be able to be made for all products.

The next guest speaker we had was Dot Silverman. Dot is a graduate student studying education at the University of Illinois. Her interest in 3D printing started in her undergraduate career at Pomona College where she studied Physics. Dot has worked for instructables and Autodesk, and has also worked on projects through Harvard University. I really enjoyed her energy and passion for Bio-Hacking. It was interesting to learn about Bio-Hacking and how anyone can learn more about it(even if you are a non-technical person) with today’s online resources.

Out of all the various Bio-Hacking projects Dot talked about, I was most intrigued by the Backyard Brains project. The tool is extremely powerful and it allows anyone to learn more about neurology and the science behind it through the study of electrical impulses and brains.

Readings

From the readings this past week. I really enjoyed “Ten Ways to Evaluate a New Business idea”. The article’s explanation of the ten key tips needed to assess how “sticky” your idea is was very helpful to read about. Specifically, the question “Does this business idea meet a need or solve a problem?” the article posed was quite interesting. I think this idea of impact and value created is often lost when going through the process of starting a business venture.

From the article about “Generating New ideas”, I was reminded about how important creativity is in the workplace. Often times, I believe that creative ideas and innovation are often overlooked as we get into routine. The article’s point about breaking patterns by rewording problems and challenging assumptions are two ways I found to be effective in challenging yourself to be more creative.

Project Idea

1. Grocery bag holder

Our team came up with the idea of creating a holder capable of carrying multiple grocery bags. The problem we identified was the struggle to move multiple bags of grocery in one trip. This item would help solve that problem and make the grocery shopping process easier for everyone.

2. Steering wheel knob

My team’s second idea is to 3D print a ball that will make it easier to turn a steering wheel. This product would help older individuals who no longer possess the strength to easily turn a car. The ball would make it extremely easy to make a turn and it would require very little power.