Innovation of the week: An ingenious 3-D printer

A new 3-D printer can turn just about anything into a digital device, said Mike Murphy at Quartz. The Voxel8, designed by a group of Harvard scientists, uses a proprietary, electrically conductive printing material "about the consistency of peanut butter" to print circuits directly into an object.

The technology, developed in the university's material-science lab, has already been used to print a working quadcopter drone and could conceivably print a computer's motherboard. Next up, the designers hope to add other materials, like epoxies, silicone, and ceramics, so that users can eventually print things as varied as "batteries, a web-connected cereal bowl, or even a pair of shoes loaded with sensors." A developer's model is available for preorder for $9,000, with a consumer version to follow soon.

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