First, Amazon announced their idea for Amazon Prime Air, a delivery system of the future that Amazon created to safely get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less using small, unmanned aerial vehicles.

Now, the company has shifted gears to another project. As we all know, 3D printing continues to be a hot topic and Amazon continues to come out with bigger and better ideas.

Amazon continues to build on ideas for faster delivery. That’s why the company is working on an invention that would 3D-print items on the curbs outside of customers’ homes.

As of late, Amazon has filed multiple patent applications for a system that would enable the company to print goods on-demand in “mobile manufacturing hubs.”

These mobile hubs would be outfitted with 3D printers to rapidly produce and deliver items on-the-go.

Most, if not all, inventions are created in order to solve a problem. So, albeit very interesting, what problem is this Amazon invention looking to solve? Amazon is looking to actually speed up the delivery process and reduce the warehouse space that the company needs to hold.

Now that we have the problem/solution of this invention figured out, let’s figure out how this 3D printing truck would actually work.

First, Amazon would utilize a mobile manufacturing apparatus that would be able to send a (StereoLithography) STL file to a mobile unit that’s closest to a customer. The STL file would provide the apparatus with instructions on how to print the item that was ordered.

Once the order is printed, it could be within miles of the customer who ordered the item and it would be either delivered or picked up.

As we mentioned before, Amazon is trying to make the mobile hubs come to fruition to reduce their reliance on warehouse space, as well as the number of employees and robots it takes to sort through stored items.

Here’s an infographic from 3Dprint.com to get a better understanding of Amazon’s mobile manufacturing hubs.

As we all know, not every single patent that’s filed materializes into an actual product or service. However, due to the fact that 3D printing continues to be on the rise and people want their orders delivered in a small time frame, this invention from Amazon could be more realistic than we think.

As of right now, Amazon hasn’t been awarded the patents for these mobile 3D printing hubs, so only time will tell if they will make manufacturing on-the-go a reality!

Copyright Inventionland, 2015

Sources:

https://www.theverge.com/2015/2/27/8119443/amazon-3d-printing-trucks-patent

https://3dprint.com/46934/amazon-3d-printing-patent/

Images:

https://3dprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/p24.png

The post Amazon Might Be on to Something with Latest Invention appeared first on Inventionland.

Jessee Hunt, 4WEB’s CEO and President, received a patent for the truss implant on June 24, 2010.

This patent was for, “In various embodiments, an implant for interfacing with a bone structure [that] includes a web structure including a space truss. The space truss includes two or more planar truss units having a plurality of struts joined at nodes and the web structure is configured to interface with human bone tissue…”

As of late, 4WEB could be the first company that receives an FDA clearance for a 3D-printed spinal implant for its Cervical and Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) interbody devices.

This 3D-printed invention encourages healing and 75 percent of the implant can be filled with graft material, allowing it to be incorporated into the bone as much as possible.

This is a milestone for 4WEB Medical and their 3D-printed technology. In order for them to reach such a feat, through their 3D printing capabilities, they utilized engineering principles like structural mechanics and adjacent material reaction to invent innovative spine implants that work to stimulate healing.

The spine truss systems that 4WEB created are different from the other fusion implants on the market, due in part to the structural mechanics of the truss implants. The implants created by 4WEB are designed in a way that distributes loads across the entire endplate and throughout the device.

What does the latter mean? It means that these implants have the ability to reduce stress risers as well as subsidence-related complications. Additionally, they have the potential to stimulate a cellular response through a mechanical transduction of strain.

Below is a short clip that features a 3D rendering of 4WEB Medical’s truss implant:

The implantation of over 3,000 4WEB Medical 3D-printed orthopedic truss implants just goes to show that the world of 3D printing continues to grow and its possibilities are endless.

Copyright Inventionland, 2014

Sources:

https://3dprintingindustry.com/2014/11/13/3000-3d-printed-spinal-implants/

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/over-3000-4web-medical-3d-printed-orthopedic-truss-implants-used-by-surgeons-282418411.html

https://www.google.com/patents/US20100161061

Media:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtqzRYqbolw

The post 4WEB Medical Creates 3D-Printed Spine Implants appeared first on Inventionland.

That is until Manuel Linares, a former physicist turned cook, invented an alternative for the classic summertime treat. Through his invention, when a person takes a lick of their treat, it changes colors.

The additive known as Xamaleón, which is Spanish for “chameleon,” changes from periwinkle to pink once it touches the tongue. So, how does this curious invention work?

This ice cream, in particular, is made with natural ingredients like almonds, vanilla, bananas and strawberries. Linares then sprays the ice cream with what he calls the “love elixir,” to accelerate the reaction.

The trick of this treat relies on both reactions to acids in the human mouth and changes in temperature. But, that’s all the public will ever know about it, because Linares isn’t giving up any more details about his secret until he secures a patent for his invention. As of late, his patent is pending.

Earlier this year, Linares opened his own ice cream shop in Spain and is working on inventing more exotic ice cream flavors in the future.

Only time will tell what other innovative concoctions Linares will invent! But, for now, the world waits to be able to enjoy this color-changing invention!

Copyright Inventionland 2014

Sources:

https://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2014/08/01/physicist-invents-color-changing-ice-cream/#.U9_VQ_ldWoM

Media:

https://cnet4.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2014/07/30/84c86d37-f53e-460e-8a23-88d80d028e69/resize/770×578/19a17eaa4e73ef86a09f006d8f9a2b61/xameleon.jpg\

https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/var/plain_site/storage/images/publications/food-beverage-nutrition/foodmanufacture.co.uk/manufacturing/colour-changing-ice-cream-invented/9204209-1-eng-GB/Colour-changing-ice-cream-invented_strict_xxl.jpg

The post Check Out This Color Changing Invention! appeared first on Inventionland.

If you aren’t familiar with what we are talking about, during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, referees would use the magic spray to keep the defensive wall 10 yards from the ball during free kicks. However, the inventor of this curious spray was more concerned with enhancing the game than enhancing his bank account.

Inventor Heine Allemagne currently holds an international patent for this invention and gave FIFA the free use of it at the World Cup. You read that correctly, this inventor let FIFA use his invention for free. But, why? Because he was driven by his love of the game and helping referees instill discipline.

The invention at its core is very simple. It allows a referee to spray a line of biodegradable foam that comes from vegetable oil in a line on the field. This line then indicates where the players must stand during a free kick. You might be thinking that by the end of a game the field would be covered in foam lines. However, once the line is sprayed, it disappears within a minute or two.

The idea for Allemagne’s invention originated when he became more and more irritated with the time-wasting that occurred during every free kick as players encroached towards the ball. 

So, he took matters into his own hands, or for the sake of this soccer blog, his own feet, when he developed the first prototype that was used during the minor Copa Belo Horizonte in 2000.

As time went on, this invention slowly but surely made its way into higher levels of soccer and two years later, the Brazilian FA (CBF) gave permission for the spray to be used after it was given a 100 percent approval  rating from the referees who had previously used it.

By 2012, the magic spray had already undergone a slew of technical modifications along the way and was tested in 18,000 professional games. Finally, it was approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

Most inventions come out of necessity or as a solution to an ongoing problem. The problem that the invention of the magic spray solved was keeping defenders behind a certain line during free kicks. With its popularity and ability to keep players in line, literally, we think that this won’t be the last time that we see the magic spray during a soccer match!

Copyright Inventionland 2014

Sources:

https://in.reuters.com/article/2014/07/07/soccer-world-spray-idINKBN0FC2AM20140707

Media:

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTcUMlY0dk4S-XTEu2Z_JsXg14juTSTOTTUanFZrHRR53H_4IST

https://news.softpedia.com/images/news2/Vanishing-Spray-Used-at-the-2014-FIFA-World-Cup-to-Prevent-Cheating-446674-2.jpg

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