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.

Artists have all kinds of cool tools and tricks to add depth to their work; blending marker colors with an alcohol pen is just one of them. But this technique takes time and skill to master, and it’s just not as fun as the way the Chameleon Pen does it.

The Chameleon Pen has two nibs for coloring and one alcohol (or “toner”) nib for mixing. To create a custom gradient, all you have to do is hold the colored nib and the toner nib together for a while. The gradient will be more pronounced the longer you hold the two together.

When you bring the two nibs together, the mixing alcohol is drawn into the colored nib. Put the marker to paper and begin coloring, and it will start off a very pale shade. Keep coloring and the alcohol effect wears off gradually, creating a beautiful, very subtle gradient that gets darker the longer you color. As seen in the video above, you can create a lot of cool effects, even blending two or more colors to create entirely new color palettes.

This is a cool idea for artists who love the gradient effect but hate how time-consuming it is to use a conventional marker and alcohol pen setup. And it’s not just for experienced artists – even amateurs can have fun messing around with the effects in those suddenly-popular grownup coloring books. The Chameleon Pen was released as a limited edition in 2014, but the makers took it to Kickstarter to fund a larger production run.

The post Mix it Up: All-In-One Art Marker Colors a Range of Tones first appeared on Gajitz.

Most of us aren’t strong enough to resist the temptation of playing with a clicky-top or twisty-end pen. The designers at Beyond Object exploit that weakness in the best way possible with their Align pen.

The pen has three sections: a longer bottom section and two smaller pieces near the top. The middle section pivots to release and retract the ball point.

When it’s not in use, the top and bottom sections are aligned and the middle is offset. Twisting the middle section puts it in line with the bottom while keeping the top section offset and releasing the ball point writing tool. Far removed from the familiar disposable pen, the Align is more like a tiny functional sculpture.

The Align pen was built to be entirely intuitive to operate. It feels like using a high-end luxury item, but the price is far below that of other luxury pens. Although it’s not yet available on Beyond Objects’ online shop, during their Kickstarter campaign the refillable pens sold for £40-£50 (around $67 to $83).

The post The Write Stuff: Luxurious Pen With a Sculptural Twist first appeared on Gajitz.

When you think about it, every writing implement we use depletes the harms the environment in some way – pencils use up wood, disposable pens use plastic, and even refillable pens create waste. German design company Jac Zagoory Designs is bringing back an age-old method of writing with metal to create an eco-friendly writing instrument.

It’s called the Beta Inkless Pen, and instead of ink it uses lead to create lines on almost any paper surface. It never needs to be sharpened, refilled or replaced – although since it’s made of lead you might want to be a bit careful about where you place it (don’t chew on the tip while you’re thinking of your next sentence).

The Beta pen is surprisingly affordable for a pen you never need to replace – just $27.95 for the full-size version or the keychain version. The lines won’t smudge or erase, and it works in any temperature. And maybe best of all, it’ll never embarrassingly leak in your shirt pocket.

The post Inkless Pen Uses Ancient Material, Never Needs Replacing first appeared on Gajitz.

3D printing has gone from an expensive, industry-specific tool to a quick manufacturing method that we can now even use at home. The 3Doodler from WobbleWorks is the next step in the evolution of 3D printing. It’s a hand-held 3D printer that can draw three dimensional objects in mid-air.

The 3Doodler is a new kind of technology that rapidly heats and then cools strands of plastic. As you draw in the air with the pen-shaped device, the plastic cools so quickly that objects you “draw” instantly harden. You can add on layer upon layer, building objects in the air.

You can also create objects by drawing on a surface, such as a stencil printed on a piece of paper. When they’re cooled, you simply peel the objects off and they become fun, bendy 3D toys. The 3Doodler uses short lengths of ABS plastic, the same kind of plastic used by plenty of conventional 3D printers.

Unlike conventional 3D printers, the 3Doodler doesn’t require any special software, knowledge or training to use. It’s operated just like a pen, so most people should be able to use it upon picking it up for the first time. After a few hours of practice, just about anyone can build awesome 3D models, jewelry, art and whatever else they can dream up.

WobbleWorks started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for production of the 3Doodler, originally asking for $30,000. As of the time of this writing, they’ve raised over $1.5 million, ensuring that we’ll all soon be able to pick up this insanely cool dream machine to bring our imaginations to life.

The post World’s First 3D Printing Pen Lets You Draw Pictures in Mid-Air first appeared on Gajitz.