Rapid prototyping, or 3D printing, has already moved from science fiction to everyday fact. This type of production generally involves a machine laying down layer after layer of material until the 3D form is complete. The DIWire is a machine that can quickly produce 2D or 3D objects out of simple metal wire.

The wire is first fed from a spool through wheels that straighten it out. It then passes through the bending head which moves around to create the desired shape. The machine takes orders in the form of vector files or text files. It’s a neat concept, but doesn’t seem to have many practical purposes to consumers or industries – except perhaps for making novelty sunglasses frames.

The post Getting Wired: 3D Printer Uses Wire to Create Wild Shapes first appeared on Gajitz.

It seems like every time we try to plug in a phone charger, the cable is just short enough that the phone can’t be comfortably used while it’s charging. On the other hand, earbud cables always seem to be ridiculously long. Researchers at North Carolina State University have come up with a totally brilliant (and quite futuristic) solution for too-short and too-long cables: cables that can stretch up to eight times their original length and then snap right back to their starting length.

The revolutionary cables are made up of two layers: a gallium/indium alloy in the middle and a stretchy elastic polymer on the outside. The interior alloy is a very efficient electrical conductor which happens to be a liquid at room temperature. It’s able to change shape and length without losing conductivity. The only puzzle still facing the researchers at this point is how to keep the liquid metal from causing a nasty and dangerous mess if the elastic cable exterior ever happens to break.

The post Pulling a Fast One: Stretchy Cables Filled With Liquid Metal first appeared on Gajitz.