This chapter proposes a representation of rigid three-dimensional (3D) objects in terms of local affine-invariant descriptors of their images and the spatial relationships between the corresponding surface patches. Geometric constraints associated with different views of the same patches under affine projection are combined with a normalized representation of their appearance to guide the match...

The cost of 3D printing has reduced dramatically over the last few years and is now within reach of many scientific laboratories. This work presents an example of how 3D printing can be applied to the development of custom laboratory equipment that is specifically adapted for use with the novel brain tissue clearing technique, CLARITY. A simple, freely available online software tool was used, a...

3D printing technology can produce complex objects directly from computer aided digital designs. The technology has traditionally been used by large companies to produce fit and form concept prototypes ('rapid prototyping') before production. In recent years however there has been a move to adopt the technology as full-scale manufacturing solution. The advent of low-cost, desktop 3D printers su...

Future sensing applications will include high-performance features, such as toxin detection, real-time monitoring of physiological events, advanced diagnostics, and connected feedback. However, such multi-functional sensors require advancements in sensitivity, specificity, and throughput with the simultaneous delivery of multiple detection in a short time. Recent advances in 3D printing and ele...

Recent advancements in technology have brought threedimensional (3D) printing to the forefront of medicine. Three-dimensional printing consists of manipulating a two-dimensional (2D) image obtained via noninvasive modalities, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or 3D echocardiography to a 3D dataset and then finally into a physicalmodel. Thesemodels can then be u...

This paper introduces the concept of a physical self-replicating machine for deployment on the Moon utilizing raw material available on the Moon. A detailed but selective review is given in order to highlight clearly the novel aspects of the concept presented. In particular, it is hypothesized that if critical components electric motors and vacuum tubes can be 3D printed from the limited repert...

Digital fabrication devices exploit basic technologies in order to create tangible reproductions of 3D digital models. Although current 3D printing pipelines still suffer from several restrictions, accuracy in reproduction has reached an excellent level. The manufacturing industry has been the main domain of 3D printing applications over the last decade. Digital fabrication techniques have also...

Polymer nanocomposites have always attracted the interest of researchers and industry because of their potential combination of properties from both the nanofillers and the hosting matrix. Gathering nanomaterials and 3D printing could offer clear advantages and numerous new opportunities in several application fields. Embedding nanofillers in a polymeric matrix could improve the final material ...

Digital Fabrication technologies exploit a variety of basic technologies to create tangible reproductions of 3D digital models. Even though current 3D printing pipelines still suffer of several restrictions, the reproduction accuracy has gradually reached an excellent level. Thanks to this advancement, the interests of manufacturing industry with respect to 3D printing techniques has significan...