The natural world offers up some ingenious biology that is only possible through many, many years of evolution. Other ideas, well, they come about through good old-fashioned brain power. We've got examples of both in this edition. Naturally. This is alt-week.
When you're in the Space business, you're pretty much already at the forefront of the technology game. NASA, however, is looking to the maker community -- especially 3D printing -- to encourage a breeding ground of new engineering creativity. The agency's Ames research centre has a "Space Shop" which already uses advanced metal-cutting and milling tools for prototype development, but recently, 3D printing has become an increasingly important part of that process. NASA believes that the ability to quickly experiment with real working prototypes (rather than digital simulations) is a vital step in effective design, one it hopes will encourage its young engineers to bring their ideas to the table. This is all land-based at the moment, but NASA is already working with a third-party to develop a 3D printer that's suitable for space missions. You can see the Space Shop in CNET's video below. Warning, there's a "rocket science" pun right at the beginning.
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