It’s Friday afternoon, so play around with this tool to get a slice of Norway 3D printed for a mantelplace heirloom. The folks at Bengler have pulled the open data from the Norwegian Mapping Authority to allow you to print your own slice of the landscape, or send if off to Shapeways, where they’ll print it with gypsum and colored ink for about $100.
I completely get this product because Norway has such an amazing landscape that you almost want to own a slice of it, or have a little something to look back at to remember where you stayed. I spent some time with my family in Lofoten, and I still have dreams about those cathedrals coming out of the water. I hiked all through this area, so I just might get a slice of this to remember, “oh yeah, I stood on top of that.”
Browsing through their website, the folks at Bengler seem to be doing a lot of interesting stuff, like a physical tool to type really fast on your phone, motion control software for 3D printers, and even built a social network after the Myspace phased out. Nowadays they’re helping the Norwegian Mapping Authority release mapping data, after previously being publicly critical of the pricing and availability. On top of Terrafab, they’re also creating laser sintered topological maps for social scientists.
Here’s the video:
From an entrepreneurial standpoint this is such cool stuff, because it demonstrates how putting together two growing trends- like Open Data and 3D printing – you’re creating value. Looking for a new project? Mash up some new buzzwords and execute it well.
