In a world where so many 3D-printed objects are still simply toys or test cases, it is refreshing to see such technology being put to use in the service of helping kids who cannot otherwise write and draw.

The ‘Glifo‘ (images by Sara Monacchi) series is a set of customizable writing utensils that can help young people with nervous system impairments to express themselves while also facilitating rehabilitation processes.

Affected children frequently have trouble with the smaller movements and grips necessary to hold and utilize implements, making it difficult to connect what their brain visualizes to the fine-tuned actions needed to realize that vision on the page.

The series consists of various handles and attachments that help hold down pieces of paper or make it easier to grip pens, pencils, markers and crayons.

The post Glifo: 3D-Printed Writing Tools Made for Disabled Children first appeared on Gajitz.

As much a psychological experiment as crowd-sourced art project, this series of 3D-modeled bicycles is based on sketches made from the memories of participants trying to recall how bikes are put together, then turned into fully-rendered prototypes.

Gianluca Gimini, a designer in Bologna, Italy, asked friends, family and strangers how they remembered a bicycle working, but without being able to look at an actual bike.

He collected hundreds of the resulting drawings, then started turning them into photo-realistic renders which look laughable but reflect a quirk of psychology that allows many of us to forget just how things go together.

In his ‘Celocipedia,’ he found “there is an incredible diversity of new typologies emerging from these crowd-sourced and technically error-driven drawings. A single designer could not invent so many new bike designs in 100 lifetimes and this is why I look at this collection in such awe.”

The post Error-Ridden Bike Renders: Bicycles Drawn from Memory first appeared on Gajitz.

An all-in-one, self-service solution for creative people who want to paint themselves permanently, this device puts the power (and pain and risk of mistakes) in your hands, for better or worse.

Developed by Jakub Pollág of the Royal College of Art, the Personal Tattoo Machine was inspired in part by the innovative ways prisoners create their own do-it-yourself machines with limited resources behind bars.

In the creator’s own words: “Personal Tattoo Machine democratises the tattoo industry. It puts a tool used only by a limited group of people into the hands of enthusiasts, who are seeking an alternative and unique way to permanently mark their meaningful memories onto their skin.”

For some, tattoos are about recording experiences or self-expression, not about a perfect image drawn by an artist. For others, they would rather take the risks and responsibilities on themselves instead of putting them in the hands of professionals.

Currently in a prototype phase and using 3D printed parts, the device has already been used for dozens or works on dozens of people. When it comes to commercial production, the kit will include sterile needles, tubes and inks as well as gloves, antiseptics and other health-related accessories and instructions.

Unlike most commercial equivalents, he offers only one (smaller) size, emphasizing that this is about the process – people can build up what they want over time rather than laying it on thick to begin with. “This machine is not aiming to replace tattoo parlours. It’s there to offer a more personal option. If you want a realistic portrait of your, let’s say, cat, you should still go to a tattoo parlour and not use this machine.”

The post DIY Tattoo Machine: Trust Yourself for Your Own Body Art? first appeared on Gajitz.

Owning an iPad is a luxury and not a necessity for most of us, but the Apple tablet is capable of helping you learn new things and develop new skills in a decidedly fun format. The Osmo is such a great example of how iPads – and their myriad accessories and apps – can add a whole new dimension to your life.

The Osmo itself is an iPad stand accompanied by a small, simple attachment. The attachment more or less places a mirror over your iPad’s front-facing camera so that the camera “sees” down. The new orientation puts real-life objects into virtual space, and the Osmo apps let you interact with the real/virtual objects in some pretty nifty ways.

Osmo’s newest offering is Masterpiece, an app that turns your iPad into a sort of high-tech tracing paper. Using images from your iPad or from the search function within the app, Masterpiece displays whatever you want to draw right on the iPad’s screen. You can even combine multiple images to create something totally unique.

Here is where it gets really cool: the Osmo device translates your hand, drawing paper, and utensils into virtual tools. You draw on real paper while watching your hand on the iPad screen, so it looks like you’re tracing over an existing picture. In reality, you’re drawing a perfect replica on your piece of non-virtual drawing paper.

When you’re done, your picture looks like a perfect piece of custom art. The app records your activity and creates a time-lapse video of the process that you can send to friends. While the $79.99 Osmo setup is geared toward kids, the free Masterpiece app could go a long way toward helping adults rediscover their creative side.

The post Tiny iPad Add-On Turns You Into an Instant Master Artist first appeared on Gajitz.

Although Adobe has always been a leader in creative software, their programs often lose out to good old pen and paper when a creative idea strikes. Adobe is taking a first tentative step into the realm of hardware with a pair of tools they call Ink and Slide. The two come as a set and work with iPad apps Sketch and Line, both designed to make the creative process simple and intuitive.

Ink and Slide are a stylus and a slide rule, respectively. The lightweight brushed aluminum tools are minimalist and futuristic in appearance, matching the Apple products they are meant to be used with. They both have white plastic accents and a single button which changes their settings within the associated apps.

Ink has a pressure-sensitive hard plastic tip that lets it move easily across the iPad’s screen. It works as a stylus with any iPad app, not just Adobe’s creative software. Within Sketch and Line, however, the stylus can be used to draw with a variety of in-app brushes and other drawing tools, and add personalized ink colors to your creations.

Slide sits atop the iPad’s glass and helps you draw perfect lines and shapes with the Sketch and Line apps. Inside, three magnets let it interact with the iPad: two at the ends tell the iPad that the Slide is there while a middle magnet makes contact when the Slide’s button is pushed. It’s a ruler, a drawing aid, and a shape stamping tool that switches functions with a few pushes of its button. The duo of Adobe tools comes in a case that is also a charger with an LED ring that glows when the case is charging. Ink and Slide are available for $199.99, and the Sketch and Line apps are free in the app store.

The post Let’s Get Physical: Adobe’s New Set of iPad Sketching Tools first appeared on Gajitz.