A University of Washington research team has been able to leverage new Wi-Fi backscatter technology to 3D geometry to create easy to print wireless devices using commodity 3D printers. In order to accomplish this, the researchers have built non-electronic and printable analogues for each of these electronic components using plastic filaments and integrated them into a single computational design. These researchers are making these CAD models available to 3D printing enthusiasts so that they can create their own IoT objects. Imagine pill bottles, insulin pens and detergent bottles that can order their own refills. The story that follows provides more details on the research, and the numerous applications it could spawn.
When technologists talk about the “Internet of Things” (IoT), they often gloss over the fact that all these interconnected things need batteries and electronics to carry out the job of collecting and processing data while they’re communicating to one another. This job is made even more challenging when you consider that many of the objects we would like to connect are made from plastic and do not have electronics embedded into them.
Now researchers at the University of Washington have devised a way of using 3D printed plastic to create objects that communicate with smartphone or other Wi-Fi devices without the need for batteries or electronics.