Getting Started with MakerBot

Chapter 3. Growing Up with MakerBot

In which the reader sees a MakerBot—and all the possibilities it creates—through the eyes of a child.

If you are an adult, take a second and imagine being 10 years old again, but this time, you have a MakerBot. Imagine the things that you would have made for yourself growing up. Your childhood would have been more interesting, you’d probably have saved more of your allowance because you’d be making things instead of buying them. Most importantly, you’d have learned to embrace failure as part of the innovation process and you would have solved all sorts of problems; all because you’d have had a tool that makes solutions.

Now think about today’s 10 year olds, and think how much better the future will be if we get as many young people as we can to have access to a MakerBot. Giving young people access to MakerBots offers an optimistic vision of the future and gives the next generation a tool to solve the problems of tomorrow.

A young maker who goes by "DocProfSky" was 10 years old when he first became a MakerBot Operator. He tells his story in a presentation called “Why I Love My 3D Printer” at Ignite Phoenix (http://igniteshow.com/videos/why-i-love-my-3d-printer-and-you-will-too). In his presentation, he explained 3D printing to the world in a way that no one had done before and got a well-deserved standing ovation. Since then, he’s become an active participant at his local hackerspace and has demonstrated MakerBots at Maker Faire.

If you can inspire ...