MakerBot Industries, creators of the affordable, open source Thing-O-Matic 3D printer, and the New Museum on the Bowery in Lower Manhattan, have joined forces for a unique art-meets-tech 3D design challenge. Showcasing the endless possibilities of the Thing-O-Matic, the New Museum MakerBot Challenge aims to push the concept of the “derivative,” by improving on or personalizing established design conventions.
The challenge looks at all sorts of objects, from the banal toothbrush to complex bicycle gears, and asks “how can 3D printing help to develop the world around us?” Embodying the New Museum’s mission of “New Art, New Ideas,” this interactive and experiential challenge is open to everyone, using MakerBot’s online community at Thingiverse.com as a place to post entries and share designs.
The contest ends October 31st, 2011, when entries will be judged by a team of representatives from both MakerBot and the New Museum. The winning design will be one that utilizes the unique ability of 3D printing to personalize and improve the world around us.
The winning design will not only be printed on a MakerBot displayed in the New Museum Store’s window, but the creator will win their very own MakerBot Thing-O-Matic Kit ($1299 value), as well as a deluxe membership to the New Museum ($400 value), and a special invitation to the New Museum MakerBot Challenge launch party. Five runner-ups will have their designs printed by MakerBot and sent to them.
The challenge is part of a larger collaboration between MakerBot and the New Museum, in which 25 limited-edition Thing-O-Matics will be sold in the New Museum Store adorned with the New Museum’s logo.
For Rules and How to Enter visit:
