News: a research team in Zürich has created a flock of helicopter robots that can detect each others' positions and join together to create a larger flying machine. More about Researchers develop 3D-printed drones capable of self-assembly
News: a 3D printer approved by NASA will be flown to the International Space Station next year so astronauts can print components, tools and equipment on-demand in space. More about NASA certifies first 3D printer for use in space
News: police in Germany plan to 3D print a gun to test whether the weapon can pass through security checks undetected. More about German police test 3D-printed gun
News: a masters student at the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles has developed a method of using a robotic arm to 3D print objects in a tank of gel, allowing freeform printing without the need for support structures and potentially adding an "undo" function to remove errors (+ movie). More about SCI-Arc student develops freeform 3D printing with "undo" function
News: electronics retailer Maplin has become the first UK chain to sell 3D printers aimed at the domestic market. More about 3D printers hit UK high street
Los Angeles architects Kyle and Liz von Hasseln have set up a business that produces 3D-printed sugar sculptures for wedding cakes, table centrepieces and pie toppings. More about The Sugar Lab by Kyle and Liz von Hasseln
Fashion designer Iris van Herpen and shoe designer Rem D Koolhaas have collaborated to create 3D-printed shoes that look like tree roots. More about 3D printed shoes by Iris van Herpen and Rem D Koolhaas
3D-printed casts for fractured bones could replace the usual bulky, itchy and smelly plaster or fibreglass ones in this conceptual project by Victoria University of Wellington graduate Jake Evill. More about Cortex 3D-printed cast by Jake Evill
These 3D-printed accessories by London fashion designer Catherine Wales can be ordered to fit any body shape and printed on demand (+ slideshow). More about Project DNA by Catherine Wales
News: architects Michael Hansmeyer and Benjamin Dillenburger have revealed a prototype for the world’s first 3D-printed room. More about Prototype unveiled for world’s first 3D-printed room
Even though 3D-printed haute couture garments have been gracing the catwalks, the real breakthroughs in printed clothing will come from more practical and subversive quarters, reports Claire Barrett in this article for our one-off magazine Print Shift. More about "3D printing will infiltrate fashion through streetwear, not haute couture"
News: a prosthetic hand designed for people with missing fingers has been made available to download from the 3D-printing design database Thingiverse (+ movie). More about 3D-printed Robohand helps children born without fingers
Forward-thinking designers are using 3D printing to blow architecture wide open, as Dezeen's editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs reports in this extract from Print Shift, our one-off publication dedicated to the developing technology. More about "In the future we might print not only buildings, but entire urban sections"
In this extract from Print Shift, our one-off publication about 3D printing, editor Claire Barrett reports on the growing number of medical applications for the emerging technology and asks how soon we can expect 3D-printed organ transplants. More about "One day it will be possible to 3D-print a human liver"
Plastic extruded from this robotic 3D printer solidifies instantly, allowing it to draw freeform shapes in the air extending from any surface (+ movie). More about Mataerial by Petr Novikov, Saša Jokić, Joris Laarman Lab and IAAC
In this article from Print Shift, our one-off magazine about additive manufacturing, Dezeen's Ben Hobson asks how soon we could be tucking into 3D-printed steaks. More about "One day we will be able to 3D-print a hamburger"
News: blueprints for the world's first 3D-printed gun have been taken offline at the request of the US government. More about US government blocks downloads of 3D-printed gun
News: office supply brand Staples has become the first major US retailer to sell desktop 3D printers for the consumer market. More about Staples becomes first major US retailer to sell desktop 3D printers
Following today's news that the first 3D-printed gun has been fired, Dezeen reporter Emilie Chalcraft takes a look at how 3D-printed guns and drones are changing weaponry and warfare in this extract from Print Shift, our one-off publication about 3D printing. More about "Frontline soldiers could soon be printing entire weapons or even aircraft"
News: the world's first 3D-printed plastic gun has been successfully fired in Texas, USA. More about First 3D-printed gun fired