This week’s edition of Engineer Notes looks at the latest and greatest in the tech world, including nutritious 3D printed food, how scientists reversed brain damage, and the effects that young blood has on an older body.

Customizable 3D Printed Food

The idea of 3D printed food is not a newfangled idea. In fact, in previous versions of Engineer Notes, I’ve mentioned the beginnings of 3D printed milk and 3D printed food to help people who suffer from dysphagia, a condition that makes it painful to swallow. What is new, though, is the idea of using 3D printed food for customizable nutrition. A new project initiated by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) is exploring just that. This may be the future of healthy living by tailoring these 3D printed foods based on a person’s genetic makeup, physiological state, and lifestyle. The team, led by Dr. Amy Logan, just began a three-year study in which they will examine how they can “retain the ‘mouthfeel’ of eating actual food.” High protein foods will be key in being able to have structurally stable foods. The trend of monitoring food intake is on the rise and Logan hopes that this type of customizable diet will be utilized in places where people may not be getting the nutrition they need, like in elementary schools. With a few more advances in additive manufacturing technology, food 3D printers may soon be as common as coffee machines.

Robotic Teachers

Using robots to teach your kids may not be a popular idea, yet it is a very likely possibility due to the fact that they are virtually inexhaustible and can store and communicate endless amounts of knowledge. Although a robot may not be your child’s next second grade teacher, one may be present in the classroom assisting “introverted or disabled or non-conforming children.” Robots would fit seamlessly into this role because they appear less intimidating to quieter kids, they are always available, and they can maintain patience indefinitely. In Singapore, a robot named Nao was deployed at MY World Preschool to teach children in more interactive ways, such as by dancing. Nao offers a fun and unique way of learning that engages and interests kids. As the growth of artificial intelligence rapidly continues, an important question arises: how do we teach both our generation and the next generation to grow accustomed to human-machine interactions? By placing these robots in the classroom, children will become acquainted with robots from an early age, eliminating the need to teach them how to interact with such a foreign species later in life.

The Dadbot

If you have seen the episode of Netflix’s Black Mirror “Be Right Back,” you are familiar with the idea of communicating with the deceased through an instant messaging application. In the episode, the wife of the deceased uses an application that compiles all of her late husband's online communication and social media to create a new, virtual version of her husband. This seemed like a farfetched and very futuristic idea, until now. After James Vlahos found out that his 80-year-old father had Stage 4 lung cancer, he decided that he was going to keep his father alive by recording hours and hours of conversation that he would use to replicate him in an instant messaging robot. These conversations consisted of his father talking about everything from his first crush to his parents’ lives growing up in Greece. Vlahos uploaded over 700 minutes of conversation to PullString, a computer conversation software, along with videos to create Dadbot. Vlahos claims that “As [his] father declined, the Dadbot slowly improved,” and by the time his father passed, even Vlahos’s 7-year-old son was able to talk to Dadbot as if it was his living grandfather.

Sweat Power

Has science come so far that human sweat is now a suitable replacement for batteries? In a way, yes. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have created a flexible skin patch that, using human sweat, can power a radio for up to two days. The patch works by using lactic acid that is found in sweat along with enzymes that replace metals that are found in batteries. This type of technology holds great implications for wearable technology. If our own bodily fluids can power these devices, then the challenge of figuring out where to get power from is solved with the easiest possible solution. The next step for these researchers is to create wearable sensors that will be able to monitor health conditions solely with the power generated by sweat. They have already reached a power level so high that “if you were out for a run, you would be able to power a mobile device.”

Reversed Brain Damage

The day has finally come, scientists have successfully reversed brain damage in a little girl after she spent 15 minutes submerged in a 40 degree swimming pool. Before the start of her oxygen therapy, two-year-old Eden Carlson was immobile, unresponsive to stimuli and constantly shook her head. MRI indicated that Carlson had extensive loss to her brain's white and grey matter. To reverse this brain damage, doctors administered two types of oxygen therapy – normobaric oxygen therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). She was given normobaric oxygen, which are levels of oxygen that are the same as sea level, which made her more alert, able to laugh and to move her arms and hands. After being administered the HBOT therapy for 40 session, she was back to her normal motor functioning, she was able to to speak, and her cognitive abilities were almost completely restored back to what they were pre-drowning. Doctors believe that the regrowth of tissues was possible because Carlson’s brain was still growing which enabled the activation of genes that promote cell survival and reduce inflammation. To the researcher's knowledge, this is the first case of brain damage reversal and they have great hope that oxygen therapy will be able to restore brain function in people who have suffered similar tragedies.

What Would it Take for Mass Extinction?

Have you ever wondered what it would take to wipe out all life on our planet? Lucky for you, scientists have figured out, from the top three most likely mass extinction events, how likely it would be for an asteroid, a supernova, or a gamma-ray burst to wipe out mankind. They suggested that the simplest way for this to happen would be for one of the above three events to provide enough energy to boil the world’s oceans. For asteroids, only 17 potential objects could provide enough energy to boil the oceans and destroy the planet. Luckily, none are in orbits that coincide with Earth’s orbit. As for a supernova, a star would need to explode at a distance of around 0.013 light years for its energy to boil the oceans and eliminate life. Thankfully, the nearest star is almost 300x farther than that at 4.25 light years away. Lastly, a gamma-ray burst, which is an explosion that produces enormous amounts of energy that are forced into jets of radiation, could only produce enough energy if the beam was within 42 light years and if the planet lay directly within the beam. This is, again, incredibly unlikely and very few planets would ever be sterilized by a gamma-ray burst. So if you’ve ever worried that a mass extinction event might take place in your lifetime, let that worry go!

Young Blood

“Young blood,” a term that typically refers to a new, naive person in an unfamiliar setting, is now one of the most valuable things a person can posses. Dating back to the 1950’s, researchers started to examine how the blood from young mice could revitalise organs and reverse ageing in older mice. Through a variety of research, results indicated that young blood boosted bone density in older mice, it helped broken muscles of older mice heal better, it tripled the proliferation rate of liver cells in older mice, and shared blood even extended the lives of older mice by four to five months. Unfortunately, this research was described as “gross and crude,” and by the 1970's research had stopped. Recently, scientists have started to again look into the effects that blood from younger people/animals have when put into the bodies of older people/animals. But blood is a very complicated liquid and scientists have yet to determine exactly what in the blood causes revitalization. Despite the lack of research, a handful of firms offer blood plasma infusions to try and produce an anti-ageing effect. This procedure is risky but with more research, scientists have hope that this will be the future of curing diseases that occur later in life.

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Our weekly dive into the GrabCAD Community Library of more than 2 million free CAD models in search of our latest favorites:

Ducati 900SS Café Racer

This tribute to a Walt Siegl style Ducati came from SOLIDWORKS 3D files and was rendered in Visualize 2017. Many of the parts used in the design were found on the GrabCAD Community Library.

Corvette ZO6 C7

This model of a Corvette by GrabCAD Community member Valentino Les was modeled in SOLIDWORKS and already has more than 550 downloads.

Geared Fidget Spinner

Fidget spinners are pretty popular right now, and this model of one is pretty inventive.

Ferrius Motorsport F17R

A Formula 1 standard chassis (dimensions took from FIA regulation) with 2017 F1 tires and rims. Modeled in SOLIDWORKS.

Intricate Wood Carving 

We just loved the intricacies of the craft that went into this model.

Clutch Assembly

Modeled in Creo 2.0.

Harry Potter's Snitch

Who doesn't like a good game of Quidditch?

LEGO Technic Container Truck

Who doesn't like a good LEGO truck model either?

Panasonic TM2000 Robot

Panasonic robots are used for welding and industrial handling. This is just a really great model of one.

Plastics Shredder 

Modeled in SOLIDWORKS, these types of shredders are designed to shred plastics to make recycling easier.

These days, when people start talking about the automotive industry, Tesla almost invariably comes up. The California automaker is controversial, to say the least.

Some view it as a knight in shining armor, sent to shake up the stale, backwards industry. Others see it as a passing fad, an automaker that thinks it's a tech startup.

However you frame Tesla, there's no denying that the Model 3 is a make-or-break vehicle. Tesla is looking to transition from a small, luxury automaker to the mainstream market with this little sedan. And you can believe that everyone is watching to see how everything plays out.

The Tesla Model 3.

History of Being Late

Tesla has a bad history of being late for just about everything. Not only were the launch dates for the Model S and Model X delayed, so were the reveal parties. Admittedly, the Model 3 launch event started on time, to the shock of everyone. But will mass production be on target?

Elon Musk, through his favorite platform of Twitter, made a bold claim that the company will produce 20,000 units by December. While the Model 3 will undoubtedly move sales figures well north of where they've been, Tesla only delivered 76,000 units in 2016. To ramp up mass production that swiftly would be unprecedented in all automotive history. Cars are notoriously difficult to manufacture correctly, and that's why there's no shortage of critics. This plan seems unlikely.

Some point to the first batch of Model 3s, saying they prove Tesla's ready for mass production. But much of the work was performed by hand, reportedly, because the production line machines weren't ready. That doesn't count as mass production in anyone's book.

Obstacles to Ramping Up

To hit those lofty production goals Musk has set, Tesla must overcome some big obstacles. It can't have big interruptions in the process flow, something that recently the company cited as the cause for a shortfall in Model S and Model X sales. The problem was with the new 100 kWh batteries, which swap out much of the graphite usually used in the battery cells for silicon. That move allows for more energy to be stored in the same space, but it jammed up the production line.

Musk has admitted Tesla's supply chain is too global. War, extreme weather, and other events can cause a crimp in the manufacturing process. He didn't expound on if that's precisely the reason for delays on the 100 kWh batteries.

Past Quality Control Issues

Tesla needs good cashflow to keep churning out mass amounts of Model 3s. For that to happen, customers must be happy with the cars – that's been a huge advantage for the company up until now. In many vehicle owner surveys, Tesla has come out well on top of every other brand.

What's amazing is that Tesla owners love their vehicles, despite quite a few documented quality issues. The Model X was loaded with them, from the falcon wing doors that didn't want to open or close, to the automatic front doors that repeatedly would hit people. Musk has even admitted the company made quite a few mistakes on the Model X.

So why do Tesla owners love their cars flaws and all? It's the type of people they are, according to J.D. Power. Up to this point, Tesla owners have largely fallen into the early adopter camp. Tesla owners geek out so much about the cutting-edge nature of the cars, plus fun Easter eggs loaded into them, that they look past things like doors that don't open. That might sound ridiculous to you, but that might only be because you're more mainstream.

And there's the problem: as Tesla pushes the Model 3, it will inevitably land in the hands of many mainstream drivers. It will likely be the only vehicle these people own, so if there's a big problem, that will irk them more. These less-forgiving customers won't be amused as doors don't operate, or other big issues crop up. If word spreads quickly enough, not only will the company lose revenue from decreasing sales, it will lose capital from investors as they flee, too.

Skimping on Testing

Tesla most certainly is tempting fate with how it's rolling out the Model 3. The biggest risk is the lack of prototype testing.

Traditionally, automakers make a small fleet of prototypes using relatively cheaper tools. If there are issues with quality, the company can make adjustments to get things right, like excessively large gaps between body panels, crooked doors, etc.

Then, the automaker takes those prototypes and drives them through all kinds of extreme environments for millions of miles, seeing what breaks. Tesla's not doing any of that, presumably relying on computer simulations and modeling instead. That could backfire in a huge way, leading to big quality issues.

Hidden Tricks

Despite all these obstacles, Tesla might have a few aces up its sleeves. The company knows it's facing huge odds, and that some don't want to see it succeed. Playing things close to the vest at first could be a smart strategy.

We do know that Tesla designed and engineered the Model 3 to be easy to make quickly. One example is that panoramic glass roof. It not only looks cool, but allows robot arms to access the cabin and perform work humans normally do. Robots are quicker, so it speeds up the production process.

The speculation is that Musk is betting in general on two advantages. One is production hardware that's more flexible than traditional setups. He's talked before about the production machines being just as important as the cars, but he won't divulge details. The second item is software automation. Acting more like a tech firm definitely gives Tesla an advantage in that area, which can boost manufacturing efficiencies considerably.

Tesla needs a hit with the Model 3. It'll have some competition starting next year. The electric version of the BMW 3 Series should arrive then. On top of that, the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi E-Tron Sportback launch in 2018. Consumers love SUVs right now, and that could hurt the Model 3, making quality even more critical.

Regardless of the outcome, the next several months should be an interesting time both for the future of Tesla and the auto industry as a whole, and well worth watching.

Are you a car enthusiast yourself? Check out some of the awesome car models found on the GrabCAD Community Library.

My family immigrated to United States from the Soviet Union in 1978 when I was just 11 years old. I don’t know if my experiences are defined by being a first generation immigrant, or by the fact that we were immigrants from the Soviet Union, or maybe by all of that and the fact that I grew up in the 1980s.

Whatever the reason, I don’t ever remember my father having a conversation with me about what I thought I might “love” to do for a profession. I do remember my father having a conversation with me, when I started 11^th grade, about what I WAS going to do for a profession. I don’t remember “passion” or “curiosity” for something ever entering into that discussion. My father was an engineer and he earned enough to feed us, so I was going to be an engineer (and presumably be able to feed myself).

Alex Sheikman works as a NASA engineer by day, and a comic book creator by night.

It was not a very emotional or confrontational conversation, but I do remember feeling a bit let down, because what I really wanted to do was – wait for it – draw comics.

Yep, you read that right.

I learned English from reading comic books, and unlike others who left comics behind when they entered high school, I just continued to CONSUME comics. Not only was I going weekly to the comic shop to buy new comics, I started buying back issues to fill in my knowledge of the various storylines. Warlock, Daredevil, (The New) Teen Titans (yes, there is a difference), Fantastic Four, Batman…I was crazy for all of the titles.

What I really found fascinating was the artwork. The way the pages were laid out and the panels broken-up to lead the reader’s eye panel-by-panel across the page. The shape and the size of the panels established the rhythm. Quite moments led to big action splashes, and the action sequences, they made my heart race. This was storytelling at its best. And every artist had a signature style, not only of storytelling, but also of rendering. I started studying each individual artist and I started practicing, learning how to draw, developing a signature style, and becoming a good storyteller.

I mentioned some of this to my father during our “talk.” Without skipping a beat, he told me that if I was really serious about comic book art, I should become an engineer to secure a steady income, and do comics as a hobby. That way I would never have to compromise my art in order to make ends meet. Iron clad logic, couldn’t argue with that.

As it turned out I enjoyed math and I enjoyed building things.

I thought math was beautiful because it allowed me a language to describe the world around me. I now know that our math models don’t describe the universe as well as we wish they did, but to a teenager who just discovered that the same math concepts tie up his Physics, Calculus, Mechanical Engineering, and Electric AC Circuits classes all together, it was truly a revelation.

And because I enjoyed building tools that did things, I had a good time applying what I learned in the school labs.

But at night, when all was done, to relax, I would draw comics.

Alex's love of comics has also influenced and informed his engineering career.

In my second year of college, I went “pro” and got my first comic book published. “Moonstruck” was a story of a futuristic assassin (check), with a heart of gold (check), who happened to be insane (double check). I supported myself through college with drawing assignments, until I got enough classes under my belt to get an engineering internship.

Things got busy for a while, but I would still manage to get something published every few months. Either a story that I would develop myself, or illustrate someone else’s script, or contribute illustrations to sci-fi magazines or role-playing games.

And these comic book experiences were solid gold for me. They taught me a number of things:

1. Discipline. 

There is an artistic component to drawing, which for a lack of better words involves inspiration and talent. But inspiration and talent are NOTHING without discipline.

The sad truth is that talent gets wasted every day, because of a lack of discipline to execute, to problem solve, to bring something to completion. There are very talented artists with very unique ways of looking at reality, and we would all benefit from seeing their vision, but we will never see their perspective on life because they can’t motivate themselves to finish a single piece (and here I am talking about ALL artists: musicians, dancers, actors, writers, painters and, of course, comic book creators).

Seeing this really made me, early on in my engineering career, develop an approach that required a little bit of pre-planning to establish a framework of schedules and milestones that could be used to gage the progress of any project I was working on. I wanted to make sure if I started something, I was going to finish it.

2. Process.  

Comics are a collaborative process. This is mostly due to the fact that comics are a monthly product and it would be too much for one person to write, draw, letter, color, proofread, correct, and then print and distribute a comic book every month. So folks specialize. Writers produce a script, pencilers break down the script into visual storytelling, calligraphers letter the pages, inkers refine the drawings using reproducible India ink, colorists paint the pages, editors proofread everything and correct any mistakes found, production creates files for reproduction, printers print, and a distribution company gets it out to the comic shops and newsstands (when comics still used to be available at newsstands). As technologies change, this process gets adjusted, but the basic interconnection between all the activities remains the same. Which means if the writer is late with the script, everyone will be scrambling to get the work done because the time slot at the printers is reserved to make sure the book comes out monthly.

I found the process of making comics just as interesting as actually making comics, and this interest developed into a fascination with processes at whatever job I was doing. I understood early on that any big enterprise is a collaborative effort and for any team to be successful, individual team members have to understand their role in the process and be able to work together to achieve the end result. I always wanted to understand where I fit into the chain of events, and how my actions affected other groups down the road.

To those of you who are Ayn Rand followers and uphold the principles of individualism, please understand: I believe that working in teams is essential in a modern society because of the scope of projects AND the creative juice that the bouncing of ideas and areas of specialization contribute. Think of some of the better-known team-ups: Hewlett and Packard, Jobs and Wozniak (who by the way is now running Silicon Valley Comic Con in San Jose where I call home), Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

And a note to my Objectivism friends: even Howard Roark had to hire a construction crew to build all of his buildings!

So is having discipline and understanding of processes all that I learned while making “funny books”? Not quite – just keep reading to see where it led me!

End of PART I

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Are you familiar with Tutorials?

Tutorials are the best way for members of the GrabCAD Community to either answer another Community member’s question or to show off their own knowledge or expertise.

But what separates a great tutorial from just an average one on the GrabCAD Community or one that doesn’t even get noticed at all?

Good question! Here’s a handy How To list of what makes for a great tutorial, when you should post one and, of course, why.

Why Should You Post a Tutorial?

Tutorials can help you give back to the GrabCAD Community of almost 4 million professional engineers, designers, manufacturers, and STEM students.

Have you ever learned something through GrabCAD? Then, pay it forward and share those skills with others. Teaching others how to do something is a great way to brush up on your own skills or really fortify them in your mind. They are also a great way to draw attention to you and your work.

The Best Time to Post a Tutorial?

• After you learn a new skill.
• To build your engineering reputation.
• To connect with more members.
• Before you start a job search.
• After someone asks a question about your model.

What Type of Tutorial Should You Post?

Well, what are you good at?

Nobody is going to want to read a tutorial that doesn’t make any sense or doesn’t teach them a new skill. So, if you consider yourself an expert in a certain area of CAD design, mechanical engineering, simulation, manufacturing, or 3D printing, then you should share your knowledge of that skill or expertise with other members of the GrabCAD Community. After all, that's why we're all here. 

For example, here is a tutorial courtesy of our friends at Stratasys that teaches you how to finish and paint an FDM 3D printed part, transforming the initial 3D print into a high quality, finished final part in just a few simple, easy-to-follow steps.

Where Should You Post a Tutorial?

Right here. 

What Makes a Great Title?

Quite simply, the better your title the more likely another member of the Community is to open and read your tutorial. If your tutorial teaches someone how to finish and paint FDM printed parts, then we suggest titling it exactly what it is teaching you how to do: How to Paint an FDM Printed Part.

Also, the more clear and explicit your title, the more likely someone is to find it on Google or another search engine. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is what a search engine like Google takes into account when someone types in, for example,  “how do I paint an FDM 3D printed part,” so it’s best to make your title similar to the words and phrases someone would use when searching online. It’s also worth keeping in mind that a lot of people are searching “how to…” find and learn things on the Internet.

Description

Adding a description helps the viewer get a brief introduction as to what they are going to learn about in your tutorial. A good description can include anything from why you produced the tutorial in the first place to what benefits the viewer will get out of viewing your tutorial.

The Importance of Categories and Tags

Picking good categories and tags also helps us sort and place your tutorial amongst other like minded content. So, for example again, if your tutorial is teaching someone how to finish and paint your FDM printed parts, choosing “Fused Deposition Modeling” (FDM) under the categories and also tagging the words “FDM” and “painting” would help us better sort and categorize the tutorial on GrabCAD. Tags also help with SEO. 

Steps

Having clearly outlined steps makes your tutorial clear, easy-to-follow, and avoids overwhelming the reader. Mix it up with words, pictures, and/or videos.

The two icons that appear in the black box in the picture below are what you would click on if you wanted to upload either a picture or a video. Once clicked, you will be able to choose the exact picture(s) or video(s) you’d like to upload.

Pictures

Adding pictures provides a visual that ensures the viewer they are following the steps correctly. For example, the picture below, taken from the “How to Paint an FDM Printed Part” tutorial, shows the viewer how to correctly use wet/dry sandpaper.

You can also embed YouTube videos of your tutorial if that makes things simpler.

Skill Level

By adding a skill level – beginner, intermediate or expert – to your tutorial, you give your viewers a way to gauge how simple or advanced the topic of your tutorial is. This way they will be able to tell if they are getting in over their head or if it’s a skill that may be too simple for them.

Conclusion

Having a conclusion at the end of the tutorial you’ve just created helps summarize the work you’ve done and lets the reader know that they’ve come to the end.

How to Save and Publish Your Work

Hitting the “Publish” button saves your work and also posts your brand new tutorial to the GrabCAD Community for all to see, interact with, and learn from. Nice job!

You can also “Save” your tutorial in a draft that can be accessed from your profile in case you can’t finish it right now and need to get back to it later.

We’ve just shown and told you how to create a great tutorial that your fellow members of the GrabCAD Community will want to engage and interact with. Now why don’t you create your first one today!

Trinityscp is one of the highest rated engineers on the GrabCAD Community and some of his models are truly amazing. We asked him some questions recently about his workflows, tools, and why he spends so much time on the GrabCAD Community:

I am a Mechanical Engineer, with a PhD in Machining Processes, from the University of São Paulo, in São Carlos, Brazil. I started a company with some friends from school in 1995, first working with Industrial Automation, but now we work with Residential Automation only.

I was also a teacher from 1999 to 2004, when I started working with 3D, just for educational purposes, and later as a hobby. A few years ago I started using it for work too, so we acquired a SOLIDWORKS license. Now all of our products are developed using SOLIDWORKS. I started using GrabCAD to download models to use in my projects and also to study, as I never took any classes that taught me how to do any of this stuff.

If you could add one thing to your personal CAD workstation what would it be?

I think a professional video card would be great. I have a Quadro K620, nice card, but limited.

What is your favorite model on the GrabCAD Community?

I think it's the Raspberry Pi model I made for a project I was working on, and published it just for fun. It was incomplete. I didn't expect to have such success. It is my most downloaded model and I got a Golden Gear for it.

What’s your favorite software to use and why?

SOLIDWORKS. I started using it after they made a presentation at the school where I worked. I had tried to learn others before and failed. With SOLIDWORKS I was able to learn alone, just reading books and later watching tutorials. I am not an expert, I only learned what I needed. SOLIDWORKS has a huge community of users, including GrabCAD, so it's always easy to find information about any issues. But all my animations and renderings are made with SimLab Composer, my second favorite.

Where do you get your inspiration for your models?

Everywhere. My main sources are YouTube and Pinterest, especially when it comes to toys. When the subject is mechanisms, the Cornell University Library is a reference and Project Gutenberg is also great.

What is your favorite badge and why?

The Golden Gear, no doubt. Because it was the most difficult to achieve, and a great honor to me. It was also a surprise, as I was making mostly toys, and didn't expect to win anything.

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Autonomous Planes

Would you feel comfortable flying in a plane that was being controlled by, well, no one? Despite the fact that most people would answer “no” to this question, Boeing, the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer, is starting to test autonomous flying technology that would eliminate the need for pilots and make self-flying planes a possibility. According to Mike Sinnett, Boeing’s VP, over the next 20 years, more than 40,000 commercial airplanes will be built, which means the number of pilots will need to increase by 617,000. There is already a worldwide shortage of pilots, so how will the above numbers be possible? The answer: autonomous planes. The artificial intelligence that is being tested is capable of making the same decisions that pilots make and can execute long-haul flights without any assistance from humans. In fact, the U.S military just announced the successful simulated flight and landing of a Boeing 737 by an AI co-pilot. Since this may not be a popular change in the minds of passengers, they will likely start with cargo flights and if they see success there, slowly move onto implementing this technology in commercial aircrafts.

Depression Headband

With both depression and suicide on the rise in the 21st century, scientists around the world are trying harder than ever to find a cure for depression that would in turn reduce suicide rates. In South Korea, the country with the fourth-highest suicide rate globally, researchers have been vigorously working to come up with a solution that would dramatically decrease their average rates of suicides per day, which is currently 38 people. Ybrain, a startup based in the Seoul Capital Area, may have just created that solution. This company specializes in “health care wearables” and with their new Mindd device, they believe that they can treat patients who suffer from major depression. This headband device works by using transcranial direct current stimulation to send electric currents to the frontal lobe. Decreased activity in the frontal lobe is strongly associated with depression so with the technology that the Mindd headband uses, Ybrain is optimistic that it will help patients with depression. The Mindd device has been used in dozens of hospitals in South Korea and is now being used in a 500-person study at the Harvard Medical School. After the study is concluded, Ybrain hopes to deploy their product globally.

An AI That Replicates You

A new meaning is coming to the phrase “talking to yourself” thanks to the AI, Replika. Replika was created by a San Francisco-based startup called Luka with the goal of creating a device that could “serve as a companion for the lonely, [be] a memorial of the dead,... or even a version of [oneself] that can carry out all the mundane tasks that we humans have to do, but never want to.” By using the answers to questions that users spend tens of hours answering, Replika works on a neural network to build a digital library about the user. From this library, the bot can mimic and replicate the way that the user would talk and even pick up on the users eccentricities and idiosyncrasies. As of now, Replika has been used for people to see how they sound to others but Replika has great implications for people who are lonely or looking to talk to someone that is just like them. With the creation of Replika, the question arises as to what exactly makes us us? If there is a device that can produce organic thoughts based on your previous thoughts, is that considered a different version of yourself? 

The Boring Company

The Boring Company is quite an apt and ironic name for Elon Musk’s latest project. The goal of the Boring Company, which is to bore the undergrounds of Los Angeles, is anything but boring. Musk, who is best known for being the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is paving new grounds with his dream of creating an underground network of as many as 30 tunnels that would transport bikes, pedestrians and most importantly, cars. Cars would be rocketed on electric sleds that will be able to reach speeds of 125 mile per hour. This is fast enough to get people from Westwood to LAX in five minutes - currently an hour drive. The main goal of this project is to eliminate the copious amounts of traffic in LA but it will also be used for the metro rail and other city transit. Even though underground tunneling can cost up to 1 billion dollars per mile and permits for underground building are incredibly difficult to get, the first machine has already started to bore. Musk said that this machine is “14 times slower than the company’s pet snail, Gary.” Regardless of the slow movement, this project will result in speedy travels. 

Cancer Sniffing Dogs

Man’s best friend just got better (if that’s even possible). Researchers in Japan have started to use dogs to sniff out patients for the potential of stomach cancer. Scientists at the Nippon Medical School, which is located outside of Tokyo, have trained detection dogs to be able to smell a particular odor that cancer cells emit, a smell that humans cannot detect. In their research thus far, these dogs were able to find signs of cancer with nearly 100 percent accuracy. Although this seems like a promising technique, there are a few problems that come with this method of cancer detection. The first is that it costs nearly $45,000 to train each dog. Secondly, many outside influences can throw a dog off and there is no way to tell when they are having a so-called “bad day.” Even with high costs and possible inconsistencies, dogs have been used to help in medical cases for years such as for patients with diabetes and epilepsy. This gives scientists hope that within the next few years, dogs will be able to help detect cancer with just as much reliability as they do detecting low blood sugar levels or seizure signs.

Morality in Self-Driving Cars

There has been a great deal of talk about self-driving cars and what implications they will have for humans. One of the trickier parts about letting these cars roam our roadways is the problem of morality. Humans are quite complex in the sense that they are able to make moral and ethical snap decisions based on context, pros/cons, and other factors that can be worked through in a matter of seconds. If you are driving at an appropriate speed but do not have time to stop as a racoon is crossing through your lane, do you swerve and hit the car in the other lane or do you hit the racoon? The ability to choose to harm the racoon over the other driver was thought to be an ability too complicated to accurately model until now. Researchers from the University of Osnabruch in Germany believe that there is a “value-of-life” model that can be represented in an algorithm that autonomous cars may be able to follow. Although this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the discussion of the morality and the ethics that come with self-driving cars, it is reassuring that this is a topic that is being discussed.

Mars Robot Printed Using Stratasys Printer

There is no shortage of uses for 3D printers especially printers manufactured by Stratasys, a global leader in 3D printing and additive solutions. Their most recent contribution to the world of 3D printing is stretching beyond this world (literally). Using Stratasys’ Fortus 900mc printer, the German Aerospace Center is creating a robot that will explore the surface of Mars within the next five years. The prototype of this robot, named the TransRoPorter, needed to be built in the fastest and least expensive fashion. For this reason, the German Aerospace Center turned to the Stratasys printer for help. The prototype, which consists of a moveable TRP Rover-Unit and a Payload Module, was tested in conditions that mimicked the extreme conditions that it will face on Mars. It was important that the prototype was built with material to withstand all sorts of tests, and thankfully Stratasys’s ASA material was the perfect material for just that. This project just adds to the long list of all the ways 3D printers are helping create solutions for projects that are out of this world.

Even the most casual of observers will notice that cars are getting more efficient. While it's true that the latest internal combustion engine designs yield more power, without using as much fuel, that’s only part of the reason why.

Lightweighting, or the process of shedding weight from a vehicle, is also helping drivers stop for gas less often. Two automakers who have been helping lead the charge in this area are BMW and Lotus.

BMW and Lotus are two automakers currently pushing the boundaries of lightweighting.

Lotus Adds Lightness

Lotus has a long history of "adding lightness" to its cars, with the aim of making them nimbler. This philosophy was originally introduced by Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus. As a result, the approach of finding ways to shed weight from a vehicle is ingrained in everything the automaker does.

This push to keep things lightweight has made Lotus a true industry leader in composites, glues, bonding, and the use of aluminum. Back in 1995, the company wowed people with the Elise, which tipped the scale at under 1,600 pounds. Among the innovations the car introduced was an aluminum chassis bonded with epoxy, a technique that's been adapted by virtually every automaker to one extent or another today.

The Elise matched or surpassed the competition in many ways. The chassis was exceptionally rigid, even though the car had no roof, which made it a blast to drive on twisty roads. While many people associated aluminum with cans that crush easily, the Lotus met more stringent European crash standards handily, proving that lightweight doesn't have to mean unsafe.

Still a Leader

Today, Lotus is still pushing the boundaries of lightweighting. It uses various composites for vehicle parts, netting amazing results. What's impressive is that the company occupies this leadership position, even though until recently it has been in dire financial straits.

To address this, Lotus has been churning out plenty of special editions for its different models. Engineers find many ways to shave down the weight of the cars, paying attention to sometimes the smallest details to lose just a few more grams. As a result, performance rises noticeably, proving that shedding weight here and there pays off.

A prime example is the Lotus Exige Cup 380. The Exige is a quick car, but this version pushes the vehicle to a 0-60 time of just 3.4 seconds, versus 3.9 seconds for the regular Exige. To get there, the company trimmed down the curb weight to just over 2,300 pounds. Achieving that kind of lightweighting success comes with multiple innovations. One is a carbon tailgate made of a single piece of material, which dropped about 14 pounds. Engineers dropped the gas struts used on the regular Exige, which saved just over 1 pound of curb weight. The list of lightweighting innovations is long, and the attention to detail is impressive.

Bavarian Leadership

BMW hasn't become an automotive powerhouse by accident. The German brand constantly pushes the boundaries of innovation, which today incudes lightweighting.

To say BMW has a love affair with carbon fiber would be a huge understatement. The company realized years ago that using the composite in more of its vehicles would lead to solid results. Others thought the plan was foolish. After all, carbon fiber was something you only saw on McLarens, Lamborghinis, and other exotic cars.

In 2010, BMW teamed up with SGL, a leading carbon-based products manufacturer, to establish a carbon fiber plant in Moses Lake, Washington. The whole point of the facility was to drive down production costs. Managers learned from Henry Ford and Andrew Carnegie that using a vertical integration strategy to make carbon fiber was more affordable. This approach works. Taking things to the next level, in 2015 BMW opened the largest carbon fiber parts plant in the entire world. The facility makes components for the 7 Series, which was completely revamped that year. As a result, the 2016 7 Series gained quite a few pieces of equipment, without government fuel economy ratings taking a hit.

An Unusual Experiment

Most people just pass over the BMW i3 without giving the car much thought. After all, it doesn't boast the longest driving range (if you don't get the range-extended version) and it looks weird. What people don't know is that the little electric car has helped pave the way for the future of lightweighting.

The i3 was the first mass-produced car to use a composite frame. Lightweighting techniques go from there, like the passenger compartment that's made of dry carbon non-crimp fabric (NCF), resin transfer molded (RTM). According to BMW, the composite passenger compartment alone saves 770 pounds, when compared to a traditional structure made of steel and aluminum.

Many other manufacturing innovations are rolled into the i3, making it a truly fascinating vehicle. It's influencing how future BMWs are made, as the company stretches to meet efficiency goals, without compromising performance.

The Future

As time rolls on, automakers will continue to push ahead with lightweighting methods. For example, BMW teamed up with the University of Delaware-Center for Composite Materials to develop a more lightweight B-pillar. The structure is a thermoplastic and carbon fiber composite, and could boost crash test performance. This flies in the face of some fears that lightweighting will make cars less crashworthy and more dangerous.

More innovations are coming down the pipeline. This is an exciting time because we get to witness the creative lightweighting solutions BMW, Lotus, and others develop.

Are you a car enthusiast yourself? Check out some of the awesome car models found on the GrabCAD Community Library.

We take another deep dive into the GrabCAD Community Library of more than 2 million free CAD models to find our latest favorites:

QAV-X Charpu FPV Drone 

Modeled in SOLIDWORKS. Files include optimized support for easy printing with a basic SLA printer.

Tank Wagon 

This model of a Zaes Type Tank Wagon is pretty cool too. It also includes the train tracks.

Rock Guitar 

Who doesn't like a good CAD-modeled guitar? Modeled in SOLIDWORKS.

Bikes

Modeled in Rhino and rendered in KeyShot and Photoshop.

Electric Locomotive

This nifty-looking locomotive was modeled in SOLIDWORKS.

Western Star 4900SF

This model looks perfect for hauling a big load cross-country.

Country Hutch

Who wouldn't like this beautiful piece of furniture in their house?

Smart Parking Project

Cars are lowered up and down in this model to make parking simpler and more efficient.

Got any cool CAD models? Share them with the Community or help others learn your skills through a Tutorial.

Stratasys' 2017 Extreme Redesign Challenge, hosted on the GrabCAD Community, called upon tomorrow’s engineers, artists, and entrepreneurs to design a better future today.

The challenge:

Redesign an existing product to improve how a task is accomplished, or design something entirely new that addresses an unmet need. This is a test to find the most creative, mechanically sound, and realistically achievable design using 3D printing.

The winners:

1^st Place, Thomas Salverson

Category: Engineering: Post-Secondary Education

School Name: University of Alabama in Huntsville

Design Name: Adjustable, Reusable and Modular (ARM) Cast

Although Thomas Salverson has no plans to be a doctor, he managed to create a new way to care for broken arms with his adjustable, reusable, and modular (ARM) Cast. After being exposed to 3D printing through his high school rocketry team, Salverson started seeking out other ways he could exercise his 3D printing skills. The ARM casts consists of a modular ring, adjustable pads and an elbow joint, all of which can be detached and then put together on the arm. The ARM cast is an improvement on the traditional fiberglass model because it is much lighter, removable, and reusable. It doesn’t need to be applied by a doctor and can be adjusted throughout the healing process.

Salverson plans to stick with 3D printing if he chooses to continue modifying his ARM cast. He has considered adding to his design by adding a section for the hand, as well as consulting a medical minded person to see what else he can do to enhance it.

2^nd Place, Matthew Wong & Luis Carvalheiro

Category: Engineering: Post-Secondary Education

School Name: Ryerson University (Ontario, Canada)

Design Name: Fender Lock

A friend’s stolen bike seat and one 3D printing competition later, Matthew Wong and Luis Carvalhero created a full-proof way to make sure bike seats never leave the bike they’re attached to again. After learning of the Extreme Redesign Challenge from their teacher, they soon started thinking of problems they could solve and remembered the story of their friend’s stolen bike seat. So they created the Fender Lock. The Fender Lock attaches to the bike frame and the saddle, making the bike seat secure. However, Wong and Carvalhero wanted to make their design more than just a lock, so they included a retractable fender to prevent your back from getting dirty and a convenient bottle opener as well.

The duo would like to work on their design in the future, but for now they are focused on their post-graduation lives and seeking opportunities to continue to build their engineering skills.

1^st Place, Grayson Galisky

Category: Engineering: Secondary Education

School Name: Los Alamitos High School (CA)

Design Name: Biomimetic Robotic Prosthetic Hand

Since he began 3D printing four years ago, 18 year old Grayson Galisky has been perfecting his craft by completing many different projects, and even building his own 3D printers. Using inspiration he gained from a research paper on robotic hands, Galisky created his own by focusing on biomechanics and modifying some design elements to achieve a higher level of dexterity. By modeling his design with major human hand components, he created more life-like features with regard to movement and speed. Galisky made innovations in the control department as well by using draw-wire sensors to collect data from his own hand movements to send to the robotic hand. 3D printing his hand resulted in a cost-effective option that can still enable customizability.

Galisky’s future plans include starting his own robotics business, but until then he will attend Cal State Long Beach to study mechanical engineering. He plans to continue to work on his robotic hand and share his designs on GrabCAD, so other engineers can draw inspiration from him and vice versa.

2^nd Place, Connor Meehan

Category: Engineering: Secondary Education

School Name: Saline High School (MI)

Design Name: Bidirectional Ratchet

A problem solver at heart, Connor Meehan is an engineer who uses 3D printing to solve problems people in his life are facing. In particular, an arthritis problem his grandfather, who loves working on cars, is facing fueled the inspiration behind his bidirectional ratchet. Meehan wanted to invent a way for his grandpa to continue the automotive work he enjoyed without suffering from the stress on his joints. Thus, the bidirectional ratchet was created. His tool is unique because the design allows you to tighten or loosen regardless of which way it’s turned. Every time you spin the handle, it will either tighten or loosen the bolt depending on what side of the ratchet you are using. It doubles as a traditional ratchet as well. So not only does it alleviate joint pain, but it quickens the process.

As for the future of the bidirectional ratchet, Meehan plans to possibly encase it so no dust or fragments can get in, if he chooses to industrialize it. In the fall, Meehan will attend the University of Michigan to pursue an engineering degree.

1^st Place, Daniel Fahy

Category: Art, Jewelry and Architecture

School Name: University of Oxford/St.Catherine’s College

Design Name: Intricate Flower Centerpiece

Daniel Fahy is fascinated by the unique, crazy designs you can make with 3D printing and as an engineer, he’s someone who likes to do it himself. Fahy was interested in the Extreme Redesign Challenge because of design freedom, and the limitless capabilities of 3D printing, which shows in his intricate flower piece. With his design, Fahy’s goal was to make a functional piece of art to show the endless possibilities 3D printing has to offer. His design uses zinnia and dahlia flowers for inspiration, which symbolize remembrance, represented by the candle function, and a lasting bond between two people, represented by the jewelry box.

Fahy is a big fan of GrabCAD and plans to stay close to that community to see what else will inpsire him. As for Fahy’s centerpiece, it currently sits in a resting state, but he plans to make modifications and improvements in the near future.

2^nd Place, Sergey Kuznetsov

Category: Art, Jewlery and Architecture

School Name: J-Design Pro

Design Name: Khachkar – Armenian Cross Stone

Jewelry prototype 3D renering

Sergey Kuznetsov is a creator. As a sound engineer and video jockey for more than 20 years, Kuznetsov’s started looking for other avenues to exercise his creativity. In his search for something new, he found 3D printing and admired the way that people were able to express themselves through the models they make. After dedicating himself to learning it and enrolling in design school, he 3D printed a khachkar, an Armenian outdoor stele. Kuznetsov was inspired to make a khachkar because of its symbolism and beauty. With over 50,000 khachkars in Armenia, no two are alike, and 3D printing allowed Kuznetsov to combine his creativity with intricacy to put a unique spin on his khachkar.

Kuznetsov plans to continue learning 3D modeling and printing. He enjoys creating different models and has even gotten his wife to start learning how to 3D print. He wants to continue entering 3D printing challenges and hopes to continue to find success making his creations.

Jacob Haynes

Category: NCATC School Winner

School Name: Danville Community College

Design Name: Universal Tablet Holder for Phantom Drone 3

Paragraph: Jacob Haynes does his best to 3D print every day. Since discovering 3D printing at his technical high school, he’s constantly using the 3D printer at Danville Community College to make new things. One of those things was a universal tablet holder for Phantom Drone 3. It improves upon traditional drone holders with a bigger surface for cameras, since most only have a platform that is big enough for a phone. This design was originally made for a class project, but Haynes’ teacher liked his design so much he suggested Haynes’ enter it into the Extreme Redesign Challenge.

Haynes graduates from college this year and recently got a drafting job at a shipyard. Although he doesn’t plan to make a career out of 3D printing, he wants to stick close to it and might even buy his own 3D printer to use at home.

Calling all members of the GrabCAD Community!

We want your help in making GrabCAD’s blog as thought-provoking and engaging as possible. GrabCAD’s blog may not be the place you go to read about the President’s agenda or the latest NBA trade. But we want it to be a place you can come to to take a break from your hard work and read about the cool things your fellow engineers are doing or the newest advancement in the world of robotics or some other area of science and technology.

To be able to make the content as beneficial to you – the ones who make GrabCAD possible – we wanted to hear about what topics you find most interesting or what you want to read more about.

It’s very simple. Get ideas from the list below or contribute your own thoughts in the comment section. We are open to any and all ideas!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Community Member Spotlight
• CAD Models of the Week – most interesting, most liked, most downloaded
• Customer Case Studies
• CAD Software
  • Reviews
  • Pros/Cons
  • Best/Worst
• Tutorials
• All things engineering
  • Examples: Career advice from a NASA engineer, fishing reels, the future of engineering, etc.

You contribute to us, let us contribute to you!

You can also email your suggestions directly to GrabCAD's Content Manager, Dave Moran, at: dave.moran@grabcad.com.

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