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Korean Startup USEED to Launch Voice Activated AI Driven 3D Printer for Kids

USEED is a Korean startup headed by Jung Soo Lim. The eight-person company got its start making 3D printer kits, and specializes in the education market. The firm makes robotics kits, Prusa i3 type 3D printers, its own Creator 3D printer, and even an SMT placement machine. The company designs, develops and manufactures its machines in Korea and has been expanding steadily. Now they aim to undertake a bit of a quantum leap. The firm has been designing and testing its Thingi for months now. The Thingi is one of the, if not the most, adorable 3D printers I’ve ever seen. Specially designed to be accessible, safe and easy to use for children, the Thingi is meant to let kids easily 3D print. The 125 x 140 x 190 build volume machine can print over WiFi, has a 260C capable extruder, and can print up to 60 mm/s. The printer has a new trick up its sleeve, however. The voice-activated AI-powered printer can listen to kids’ commands and prints accordingly. If the voice activation works well and the company can accordingly automate the entire printing workflow, it would make 3D printing much more accessible and easier. Potentially it would make 3D printing much easier for all of us as well. It was refreshing to finally see something innovative happening again in desktop 3D printing. The company is testing the printer now and aims to go to crowdfunding in a few months. We interviewed CEO Jung Soo Lim to find out more.

What is USEED?

Our company manufactures 3D printers and coding education kits for kids. We have 8 employees. Our company was founded to provide IT seeds that can be easily implemented if anyone has an idea.

Therefore, we are currently supplying educational 3D printers and related education services to Korean educational institutions. The big plan that our company has is to launch a voice driven AI printer. In Korea, 3D printing is not being popularized fast enough. We analyzed the of this causes through our experiences in selling technical products. There was pressure to learn 3D modeling in order to use 3D printers. Also, children between the ages of 5 and 10 want to use 3D printers. However, these purchases were not made because children had to use computers independently. With that background, our company developed the Thingi early last year and is currently preparing to mass-produce it. Also, to cover the costs of molds, we are looking for funds through crowdfunding platforms.

Our company will complete 3D printers and content that children can use for making their own toys. We hope to have is available this year at Christmas.

Why a voice-activated 3D printer? 

I want kids to have fun while using 3D printers to make the things that they want. If a child wants to make a Hello Kitty patterned cup, the kid talks to our 3Dprinter. The Thingi recommends the best model file and will then print it out. We will simplify this process so that children can use 3D printers in a fun way. I think that if many people enjoy and use our products, the limitations of technology will be overcome.

The post Korean Startup USEED to Launch Voice Activated AI Driven 3D Printer for Kids appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

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Print It with SOLIDWORKS Apps for Kids

SOLIDWORKS Apps for Kids is an ecosystem of apps designed to introduce children ages 4 and up to the principles of STEAM. The apps nurture their burgeoning engineering skills, taking kids through a child-friendly version of the design workflow process: Ideation, Creation, Enhancement, and, finally, Production.

In Apps for Kids, “Production” means Print It. The Print It app is where the models created and enhanced in the Shape It and Style It apps can come to life in the real world. With the ability to 3D print, 2D print, and cube print, Print It is a favorite among users of all ages.

3D printing with SOLIDWORKS Apps for Kids is simple. Once a model is ready for printing, users can switch to Print It and view their model in an approximately 8 inch/200 mm cube. From here, the model can be downloaded as an STL and used with any 3D printer. It’s super simple and compatible with all kinds of printers. We also have a partnership with Sindoh 3D Printers that makes 3D printing with SOLIDWORKS Apps for Kids even easier.

The dimensions of the Print It 3D print interface match that of the Sindoh 3DWOX DP201 printer. The 3DWOX DP201 is specifically designed for educational purposes, with a flexible print bed that allows kids, parents, or educators to easily and securely remove prints. Once connected, kids can print their models from anywhere using SOLIDWORKS Apps for Kids. If you have a different Sindoh 3D printer, don’t worry, now SOLIDWORKS Apps for Kids can print to any Sindoh 3DWOX printer. Your model’s size can be scaled up or down, and multiple copies can be printed at once. Cloud printing to a Sindoh 3DWOX 3D Printer is a breeze, and the sky is the limit with the educational mission of the 3DWOX DP201.

Don’t have access to a 3D printer and still want a three-dimensional view of your model? Cube print is an immensely popular feature in SOLIDWORKS Apps for Kids that does just that. By using cube print, six views of a model are arranged on a flattened cube. Once printed on paper, you can cut, fold, and glue or tape the cube together to make a 3D version of your design. It’s a great way to introduce kids to orthographic views, while turning their models into a fun crafting project and giving them something 3D to play with.

Sometimes, kids just want a cool picture to draw on or hang up on their wall. With Apps for Kids, that’s a piece of cake. In the Style It app, kids can paint their models with all sorts of colors and add scenic backgrounds to make their creations pop. Want to see that background in the real world? After shifting to Print It, users are able to print of a 2D image of their model in the middle of a scene.

With the 2D Print functionality, models can also be printed as color-by-numbers pictures, allowing kids to hand-draw whatever they want on their models and give them their own background. The model becomes an outline, and kids can use a number key to color in different loops and areas. Kids can get as creative as they want, building their own design and coloring to their hearts’ content.

Print It is a fun way to literally bring kids’ models into the real world. Kids of all ages have the ability to produce their own models and bring them to life.  The workflow found within SOLIDWORKS Apps for Kids is the best way to start your child off on their journey through design and engineering. Learn more and sign up on the SOLIDWORKS Apps for Kids website.