Gallery: Cool Idea: Using Tiny 3-D Printed Parts to Hack Other Products
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Japanese design studio Takt Project is using 3-D printers to hack extra functionality out of mass-produced products.
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For example, an understated Bluetooth speaker from home good retailer Muji is transformed into a colorful conversation piece with a 3-D printed grill.
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Takt Project has created a series of these hacks transforming products from Muji into furniture.
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When combined with wooden dowels, steel rods, and paper organizers, these 3-D printed green plugs create a storage sideboard.
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The collection treats mass produced products like so many Lego bricks that can be reimagined as entirely new products.
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This 3-D printed part is a dramatic example...
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When paired with a frosted plastic pencil holder...
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The objects become a pendant lamp.
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A bright orange stem and suction cup transform a plain clock into a zany gadget.
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The collection is broad and demonstrates how many varied looks can be achieved by combining mass-produced wares with bespoke accessories.
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Not everyone can be expected to become a designer, but low-cost tools and supportive design software could substantially broaden the definition of interior decoration.
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Tiny interventions can lead to dramatically different looks and functionality.
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Miniature clips transform standalone boxes into a refined storage system.
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Takt Project plans to make their files available online, giving anyone with access to a 3-D printer the ability to improve upon Muji's products.
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"By choosing MUJI products as a material, anyone can prepare them easily," says Takt Project principle Satoshi Yoshiizumi. "By sharing our 3-D data, anyone can replicate this project at anywhere in the world."
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"There are so many more possibilities in other manufacturers, not just Muji," says Yoshiizumi. "For example, we think products from a typical Japanese 100 Yen Shop \[dollar store\] have massive potential as a material."
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"Muji products are easy to find in all over the world, they have minimal noiseless design," says Yoshiizumi. "We thought Muji products are the most suitable example to express our propose of this project."
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Not every design is practical, but they're consistently clever and help capture the possibilities of this kind of systemic thinking.
