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Mattel Introduces A Kid Friendly $300 3D Printer

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Do you remember the Thingmaker toy from ages past? Back then you could build creepy things and flowers by squirting gooey ooze into special molds and then assembling the parts. I didn’t have one, but I do remember that it looked pretty cool.

But now Mattel has introduced a new Thingmaker, and it blows the other one out of the water as far as creativity goes. This new Thingmaker is basically a 3D printer, and an app for iOS or Android provides the input.

One the custom design is complete, the app instructs the Thingmaker to, well, start making things. As the parts roll off the extruder line, the aspiring builder can assemble the parts into the final creation. The app cleverly designs the parts to assemble similar to a Lego Bionicle, so the end product can be an articulated masterpiece.

Just imagine the wild and imaginative creations that could be built using such a system. And I doubt that the fun is limited to just kids, Once again, I am reminded about something that a wise man once told me: it is never too late to have a happy childhood.

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