ITS (almost) ALIVE!

A 3D printer ALMOST reached self-reproduction!
The name is RepRap (short for Replicating Rapid-prototyper).

Read here for details.

Unfortunately:
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Replication

Not counting nuts and bolts RepRap can make 60% of its parts; the other parts are designed to be cheaply available everywhere. This is an interesting coincidence: we can make 60% of our proteins; the other parts are evolved to be cheaply available everywhere...

The primary goal of the RepRap project is to create and to give away a makes-useful-stuff machine that, among other things, allows its owner cheaply and easily to make another such machine for someone else.

The next version of RepRap will be able to make its own electric circuitry - a technology we have already proved experimentally - though not its electronic chips. After that we'll look to doing transistors with it, and so on...

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Way to go! If I was not so lazy I would build one immediately... perhaps when the 3D printer will be able to walk from the shop to my house... :>