Projects
Contents
- 1 There are several projects we're working on at Mycelium, and we're excited to share them with you through SPORE. Here are some of the projects we’re interested in or currently pursuing:
- 2 Local Recycling Hub
- 3 Outdoor Public 3D Printing Kiosk
- 4 Distributed Mobile Maker-carts
- 5 Self-Serve Injection Molding Machines
- 6 DIY and how to build 3D Printers
- 7 Hosting Classes and workshops on 3D Printing
- 8 Donating 3D Printers to those in need
Local Recycling Hub
China has stopped importing the world’s plastic, and as a result, it’s accumulating quickly. That’s why we want to provide a local outlet to the public to transform this plastic waste into useful goods. For example, someone can walk in with a milk jug and walk out with a fidget spinner. Additionally, we want to incentivize people to clean the environment by paying for clean sorted plastic. We will then recycle that plastic into useful goods that we can sell as a revenue stream; goods like 3D printing filament, phone cases and mounts, chess sets, desktop organizers, rulers, flower pots, bag clips, drain stoppers, guitar picks, buttons and many more.
Not only will this shop yield a potential revenue stream for our non-profit, it will also act as an R&D Hub. We intend to use what we learn from this location to develop smaller recycling machines that can attach to our public 3D printing systems. This means people will eventually be able to walk up to a public 3D Printing Kiosk, and deposit a milk jug as ‘payment.’
Outdoor Public 3D Printing Kiosk
In areas with a high poverty rate, access to equipment like 3D printing can help stimulate STEM activities in youth and students, positively impacting their career paths. That’s why we are developing and building an outdoor, self-serve 3D printing kiosk that’s free for the public to use. This will serve as a pilot program for the first version of the machine. Eventually, later versions will double as a plastic recycling hub where anyone can deposit plastic as a 3D printing material. All the designs for this kiosk will be made open source and free to the public.
Distributed Mobile Maker-carts
Not everyone can afford access to equipment like 3D printing. Yet, access to such equipment could help stimulate STEM activities, and therefore positively impact career paths. So we’re building mobile 3D Printing carts that are essentially mobile miniature factories. These carts will have a computer, 3D scanner, 3D printer and an area for materials—all in one compact and mobile area. We plan to build 5 of these carts and circulate them between libraries, schools, children’s hospitals, and anywhere else that could benefit from a mobile factory.
Self-Serve Injection Molding Machines
Similar to the outdoor public 3D Printing Kiosk, but faster. We envision a machine you can walk up to, deposit a plastic jug, and walk away with a fidget spinner in just a couple of minutes.
