Smart glasses, wearable computers and skin-mounted sensors will soon guide people through airports and shops and allow them to pay for goods and services, according to John Hanke, the head of Google Maps (+ interview). More
News: engineers at a UK university have printed working electronic devices for the first time using a standard 3D printer fitted with a new type of plastic that conducts electricity. More
News: the 3D printing revolution could be hampered by copyright claims and legal challenges as the emerging technology matures, an expert has warned. More
Customers visiting a pop-up 3D photo booth in Tokyo from tomorrow can take home miniature colour models of themselves (+ slideshow). More
News: 3D printer manufacturer Makerbot has opened a photo booth in its New York City store offering customers the chance to print out a model of their own face. More
News: the US military is developing its own 3D printers for the frontline which will enable soldiers to quickly and cheaply produce spare parts for their weapons and equipment. More
Istanbul Design Biennial 2012: design duo Clemens Weisshaar and Reed Kram used custom software to adapt and strengthen the branch-like metal joints of this collection of 3D printed furniture, currently on show at the Istanbul Design Biennial (+ movie). More
Dutch Design Week: architect Brian Peters has adapted a desktop 3D printer to produce ceramic bricks for building architectural structures (+ movie). More
Threads and glue replace joints and screws in the furniture that emerges from a custom-made machine designed by Royal College of Art graduate Anton Alvarez (+ movie). More
London architecture team Softkill Design has designed a conceptual house that would be 3D printed in sections in a factory and fitted together on site (+ interview transcript). More
News: consumers can save money by printing products at home rather than shopping for them, according to Janne Kyttanen, co-founder of design studio Freedom of Creation and creative director of 3D printer company 3D Systems (+ interview). More
Istanbul Design Biennial: Belgian design studio Unfold have created a 3D printed ceramic filter for an open source water boiler and purifier that was developed by Jesse Howard in collaboration with Thomas Lommée for use in the developing world. More
News: cheap 3D printers mean manufacturing can again take place at home as it did before the industrial revolution, according to MakerBot Industries CEO and co-founder Bre Pettis (+ audio). More
Istanbul Design Biennial: Rotterdam design studio Minale-Maeda has devised a set of 3D printed plastic connectors that combine with standard wooden parts so that anyone can make these four items of furniture. More
Istanbul Design Biennial: this project by Antwerp design studio Unfold explores how 3D-printed objects created from identical digital files can be as varied and unique as hand-made objects (+ movie + slideshow). More
Product news: a watering can and an action figure were among the everyday objects scanned and distorted by designer Matthew Plummer Fernandez to create these faceted and richly coloured 3D printed vessels. More
News: advances in 3D printing could allow people to "print ammunition for an army", according to Ronen Kadushin (pictured above), one of the pioneers of the open design movement. More
Product news: this wearable camera by Oxford technology business OMG Life with Chauhan Studio uses sensors and GPS technology to decide which moments of your life are worth photographing. More
News: a group of libertarian activists in the U.S. plans to distribute open-source blueprints for homemade 3D-printed guns, provoking questions about the potential uses of the increasingly affordable technology. More
News: online homeware retailer Made.com has opened a physical showroom on the ninth floor of a west London office tower, featuring QR codes and miniature 3D-printed models of furniture. More