3D printers up until this point have all been able to do one thing – 3D printing. You would need a separate computer and some scanning hardware to turn physical objects into digital design files. Now one company wants to combine the two into a single machine to rule them all.
AIO Robotics announced this week that it’s currently working on a 3D printer/scanner combo called the Zeus. It’s there intention to bring the device to Kickstarter in the beginning of September, and it may be one of the most innovative 3D printers yet.
We know that the Zeus can scan and print 3D objects, but it’s also being billed as a 3D printer fax machine. In other words, the Zeus can scan an object and send it to another Zeus thousands of miles away. It eliminates the need for any additional hardware or software as long as your partner has a Zeus as well.
So, how much is this thing going to cost? Surely, a 3D scanner, printer and fax machine combo must cost thousands of dollars. Surprisingly, the team says that they’re aiming to be “significantly cheaper than the MakerBot Repliactor + Digitizer.” MakerBot hasn’t revealed the price of its Digitizer hardware just yet, but it will probably cost a few thousand dollars. With that in mind, we’re probably looking at a $3,000 to $5,000 price tag for the Zeus. It may seem expensive, but it’s actually pretty cheap when you factor in all the technology being crammed into a single machine.
The Zeus is poised to debut on Kickstarter starting September 4. The team at AIO Robotics have not shared any details beyond that regarding their initial funding goal or reward tiers, but we’ll let you know all the details once it goes live. The Zeus is an incredibly exciting 3D printer, and the Kickstarter community’s love for 3D printers may just help it succeed.
[h/t: Quartz]