JJ Abrams, who we all know as the current mastermind behind Star Trek and Lost, recently mentioned to Howard Stern that he has a 3D printer in his office, and considering you can practically make anything short of a real human being with a 3D printer, it seems like it would be really cool to have one.
While you can create so many cool things with a 3D printer, there is also a danger in owning one because they can manufacture guns. So if you’re rich enough to afford one, how do you set it up so your kid doesn’t print one out and start shooting up the neighborhood?
As Vice.com tells us, there’s a software company from Denmark called Create It REAL that has come up with a way of blocking this on your printer. In writer Grace Wyler’s story, they ran a picture of a gun with the notice: FIREARM DETECTED YOU CANNOT PRINT THIS MODEL. Much like blocking porno in your house, you can have the potential to have weapons blocked on your printer as well.
The CEO of Create It REAL said this works “a bit like an antivirus” or “a firearm parental feature” that can block weapons from being made in your home. In addition, this weapons blocker was created by Create It REAL to prevent potential legal problems against 3D printers, and it potentially limits the liability of a 3D printer company.
“One firearm out of 10 could explode on use and hurt its user,” Create It REAL’s CEO continues. “Or it could work on certain 3D printers and not on others. Then the users will feel like the manufacturer is the one accountable. [Our] feature removes this risk.” Just make sure this blocker is in place if they ever decide to install 3D printers in prison libraries…
