14 DAY TRIAL // 3D printing may never go mainstream, but there's plenty of people interested in what can be made possible by an affordable and reliable desktop 3D printer. Artists have the most to gain, they can easily bring to life anything they can dream of (and design on their computer).
One interesting project used 3D printing to create intricate models and a plastic squid to be filled by bioluminescent bacteria.
The project, part science, part art, aimed to create an environment where the special bacteria, Aliivibrio fischeri, could thrive.
But the goal wasn't just to grow these bacteria in the lab, that's been done before, but use them in artistic installations. The two artists/researchers involved in the project chose a 3D squid as one of the containers, which is fitting since the bacteria actually have a symbiotic relationship with some types of squid in the wild.
