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PrintPut: Seamless Integration of Simple Sensors into 3D-Printed Objects

Researchers from the Human Media Lab at Queen's University (Kingston, ON) introduce a method for seamlessly integrating simple touch and pressure sensors directly into 3D-printed objects. When developing new articles, designers often create prototypes to guide their design process about how an object should look, feel, and behave. PrintPut uses conductive filament to offer an assortment of sensors that an industrial designer can easily incorporate into these 3D designs, including buttons, pressure sensors, sliders, touchpads, and flex sensors. PrintPut combines physical and interactive prototyping into the same process - integrating sensors onto the surfaces of 3D objects, without the need for external sensor hardware.