Gray-haired programmers fondly remember the Stanford Bunny, the Electron Volt of computer graphics. Back when a megabyte was a lot of memory and graphics could only be done on “the workstation”, the Stanford Bunny was used in pretty much every demo. In recent years, the bunny became a popular demo for 3D printing. Obviously.
All hail, Bunny!
Then, in the LEGO world, there is The Duck. Originally carved in wood, the duck harks back to the long history of toy making. It is, in its way, just as much and icon as the bunny.
This year LEGO has created a 3D printed version, complete with wheels, armatures, and beak that moves!
The Duck is “a replica of a wooden toy duck created by Lego’s founder, Ole Kirk Kristiansen” [2].
Neat.
I mean, LEGOs are all cool. But this little guy is cool even for LEGO. I mean, look at the structure [1], It’s all printed in one pass!
I gather that LEGO is looking to this technology for the future.
Up to now, LEGO has built on injection molded pieces, millions of copies of less than 4,000 different designs. This 3D printing not only enables complicated pieces, it also should enable smaller runs of more designs. It also will enable manufacture on demand, and, possibly more distributed manufacturing (i.e., ship the design digitally to your local shop, where it is cooked just for you.)
The future is not just bricks! It’s ducks, too!
- Huw, A close look at the LEGO House duck, in Brickset, September 29, 2022. https://brickset.com/article/82437
- Andrew Liszewski, Lego’s Animated 3D-Printed Duck Is a Sneak Peek at the Building Toy’s Future, in Gizmodo, November 7, 2022. https://gizmodo.com/lego-3d-printing-printable-print-duck-toy-minifig-house-1849751375
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