At Internet Week in June, I got a quick look at a 3-D printer or fabricator that was being demoed by the folks at MakerBot Industries. Their device is one part of a larger do-it-yourself movement in which both serious inventors and designers or ordinary hobbyists can prototype products in their own living rooms.
Inventing is a lonely process and development costs, though they have come down with this new crop of 3-D printers, is still a consideration. So why not crowdsource the design, protoyping, and marketing phases? That’s kind of the idea behind NYC-based Quirky. Continue reading