3D Print Accessories for Your Drones with Shapeways, DJI & Mythbusters’ Adam Savage

Source: http://3dprintingindustry.com/

Other manufacturers create drone accessories for their customers to purchase, but China-based DJI wants to give their customers the thrill of designing their own add-ons. DJI has already given customers the ability to develop their own software with their Software Development Kit (SDK), released at the beginning of the year, but now the market leader in easy-to-fly drones is giving their users another layer of personalization. DJI is partnering with MythBusters‘ Adam Savage to create hacks and add-ons for drone products to be sold in the Shapeways marketplace.

What are some of the accessories that you can design using 3D printing and design? The sky is the limit. You can print anything from a battery door cover to an iPad remote mount. But it’s not just about what you can personally imagine, as Shapeways will feature community-designed accessories, so thatusers can take advantage of the ingenuity of their fellow 3D modeling and drone enthusiasts.

Peter Weijmarshausen, CEO and Co-Founder of Shapeways, is enthusiastic about the partnership, saying, “designers have been using Shapeways’ service to create accessories for drone products for years, and it’s exciting for us to have DJI recognize the work and creativity of our community. Our mission is to make 3D printing accessible for everyone, and with the support of DJI we are excited to see what products the community comes up with while continuing to push the boundaries of 3D printing.”

Another fun ingredient to the partnership is the support of Adam Savage, host ofMythbusters, educator, and industrial designer. An avid DJI drone fan, Savage is excited to share his custom add-ons and drone accessory designs with the Shapeways/DJI community. He says, “I’ve been making and modding my toys forever, and DJI drones are my latest obsession. Nothing makes a gadget even more useful (and exciting) than being able to customize and modify it to better fit how we use it. As a longtime Shapeways customer, I’m excited to work with DJI and Shapeways to 3D print my own accessories, and see what else the 3D printing community comes up with to make DJI products even more useful than they already are.”

Eric Cheng, General Manager at DJI explains the decision to partner up, “DJI’s philosophy is to enable creativity through advanced technology and part of that includes supporting creativity in maker modifications, whether they are 3D printed or accomplished via DJI’s Mobile App SDK.” It’s interesting to see such a variety of brand names come together in a project such as this. More interesting, however, is the sorts of gadgets the Shapeways community will come up with.