What if you could print something at home, put your box of cereal on it in the cupboard and then it automatically connects to WiFi and re-orders a new box of cereal when you need more?
A group of researchers at the University of Washington have demonstrated things like this are possible, using a 3D printer.
And for the first time, they've created smart parts that communicate with Wi-Fi without needing any batteries or electricity.
“Our goal was to create something that just comes out of your 3-D printer at home and can send useful information to other devices,” said co-lead author and UW electrical engineering doctoral student Vikram Iyer. “But the big challenge is how do you communicate wirelessly with WiFi using only plastic? That’s something that no one has been able to do before.”
3D printing objects that connect to Wi-Fi
They used commercially available filaments and conductive materials in their printing. You can read their 3D printed smart objects research paper for more technical details.
"As the components are triggered by a physical action, the conductive switch intermittently connects and disconnects with the object’s built-in antenna. A turning gear, encoded with 0 and 1 bits based on the absence or presence of a tooth, toggles the backscatter switch from its reflective to non-reflective state to produce signal patterns that are decoded by the WiFi receiver."
Print your own 3D smart objects at home
"With CAD models that the team is making available to the public, 3-D printing enthusiasts will be able to create objects out of commercially available plastics that can wirelessly communicate with other smart devices. That could include a battery-free slider that controls music volume, a button that automatically orders more cornflakes from Amazon or a water sensor that sends an alarm to your phone when it detects a leak."
The University of Washington is a hotbed for innovation. Researchers there recently created smart-clothing that collects data without electronics.
Let's see what they come up with next.
