I’m not sure what impresses me most about this project: the fact that it began as a $30,000 goal on Kickstarter and went on to raise $1.8 million in just a week, or the fact that the product itself is so cool I’m finding myself daydreaming about all the things I could make with it before it’s even in my hot little hands.

The product is called 3Doodler, and it’s basically a pen that prints 3-D images using alternately hot and rapidly cooling plastic. You can actually take an idea from paper and draw it in the air, where the plastic stays put in whatever shape you want. Of course, you can also download stencils to draw intricate designs on before putting them together. The pen is being compared to a hot-glue gun as far as ease of use, and one foot of plastic translates to eleven feet of drawing.

The masterminds behind the creation are Max Bogue and Peter Dilworth, who are in charge of research and development for WobbleWorks toys. They say they are astounded at the number of supporters the pen has drawn on Kickstarter and are excited to oversee production when it comes time to fill all those orders.

“To be able to do product development so instantaneously — it’s just fantastic,” Bogue said. “We get to build a community for a product before we get it into people’s hands.”

Images: Kickstarter