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Posted by: Beth Snyder on: 03/16/2016 12:26 AM
In case you've not heard of them, 3Doodler was a very successful Kickstarter project from the end of 2013 by a company called WobbleWorks, which put a new, affordable twist on 3D printing. Instead of a large machine that prints objects, 3Doodler is a pen that prints anything drawn with it in three dimensions. It kind of reminds me of that spray cheese that comes in a can, but instead of cheese food what comes out is plastic that hardens into 3D art. The original product was not designed for children, but WobbleWorks has developed a new version that has your budding artist in mind.How it works is almost ridiculously simple. Each 3Doodler pen comes with a starter pack of plastic sticks. Just put a stick into the pen, turn it on, and you're ready to begin drawing whatever your heart desires. The difference between the regular version and the kid-safe version is temperature. The kid version only has one extruding speed and it's pretty slow, but that's because it has a single temperature setting in order to keep the tip safe for children to use without worrying about burns.
Which is not to say your kids should use the 3Doodler without adult supervision, not at all. They're actually pushing to get this version into schools, to get kids into the world of 3D printing earlier. But if for some reason the kids end up touching the tip (and you know they will), the tip won't burn them. You can even doodle right on your skin without fear of injury.
This version of the 3Doodler is called the Start, and as mentioned above, the basic kit comes with a starter pack of plastic sticks (48 total, in eight different colours). It also comes with a micro USB charging cable and a project book to get the kids started. The basic kit will cost $49.99 US, but is currently on presale for $39.99 US. You can order extra packs of plastic sticks for $24.99 US ($19.99 US preorder), which gets you six packs, or 144 strands in six colours. The 3Doodler Start is recommended for ages 8 and up, and is expected to ship in May of this year.Source: Engadget