In First, 3-D Printed Objects Connect to WiFi without Electronics

Megalith

Megalith

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Imagine a bottle of laundry detergent that senses you’re running low and automatically connects to the internet to place an order for more. University of Washington researchers are the first to make this a reality by 3-D printing plastic objects and sensors that can collect useful data and communicate with other WiFi-connected devices entirely on their own.

3-D printing enthusiasts will be able to create objects out of commercially available plastics that can wirelessly communicate with other smart devices. That could include a battery-free slider that controls music volume, a button that automatically orders more cornflakes from Amazon or a water sensor that sends an alarm to your phone when it detects a leak.
 
"Automatically orders more" full stop. Do not want. Never want.
Also it doesn't communicate via wifi as you know it. Using a back-scatter array to detect movement in conductive plastic is a fairly active system which isn't like a normal connection at all.
 
Gigus Fire said:
"Automatically orders more" full stop. Do not want. Never want.
Also it doesn't communicate via wifi as you know it. Using a back-scatter array to detect movement in conductive plastic is a fairly active system which isn't like a normal connection at all.
Click to expand...

Yep, I totally agree. I do not want appliances that communicate with internet on their own (obviously not talking about my router!).
 
easy to do it in a controlled environment. Now try do it with all the WIFI signals in a usual room in a big city.
and good luck adding any sort of encryption to that.
 
Gigus Fire said:
"Automatically orders more" full stop. Do not want. Never want.
Click to expand...
Yup, unless I won a "lifetime supply" of a product on a game show/contest I do not need it telling me to get more, if I feel like I need more I'll make a note of it on my shopping list, or hell just get online and order it because hey that's a thing now, and it's easy too!
 
sfsuphysics said:
Yup, unless I won a "lifetime supply" of a product on a game show/contest I do not need it telling me to get more, if I feel like I need more I'll make a note of it on my shopping list, or hell just get online and order it because hey that's a thing now, and it's easy too!
Click to expand...
I am a fan of automation, but this seems a bit excessive to me. On the other hand, gadgets.
 
The government could do a lot of good with this type of technology. Imagine the FBI, CIA, NSA, and others with this technology at their disposal.
 
Gigus Fire said:
"Automatically orders more" full stop. Do not want. Never want.
Click to expand...

+1.

Can't wait until this automatic ordering gets stuck in a loop and someone comes home to find 438 boxes on their porch, and another 2,853 on their way.
 
nutzo said:
+1.

Can't wait until this automatic ordering gets stuck in a loop and someone comes home to find 438 boxes on their porch, and another 2,853 on their way.
Click to expand...
Laundry detergent for life. Like, four lives.
 
Gigus Fire said:
"Automatically orders more" full stop. Do not want. Never want.
Also it doesn't communicate via wifi as you know it. Using a back-scatter array to detect movement in conductive plastic is a fairly active system which isn't like a normal connection at all.
Click to expand...

Exactly, how many tech savvy teenagers would be running around with these things in their neighborhood spinning the wheel so that every house ends up with 10,000 bottles of detergent.
 
So all my appliances will have weather station looking water mill spinning plastics and it comes with a *free back scatter array and software to detect the minute changes in the conductive plastic while my quad band router and 2 repeaters run wild and my nest devices giggle in glee.........pass
 
I have been putting in home automation stuff for several years in my house. I've got about 3/4 of the lights as smart switches ($30-40 a pop, so I've spaced it out.) . I also have a smart thermostat, smart locks, a few motion sensors (need more but like lights, they are expensive), and do have a few moisture sensors. The moisture sensors are on my hot water heater tank and under my kitchen sink. If they detect a leak, I get a push notification.
Now, my experience with all of these gadgets is they can be flaky. I just noticed my smart thermostat hasn't been talking to my Wink hub since June. Not a big deal for me, but if I had anything automated with the thermostat, it would not have been working.
What if my "smart" laundry went nuts and ordered me a crap load of detergent? I think I'll do it manual. I would be ok if I got a notification if I'm running low. I usually buy groceries and my wife doesn't always tell me we are low on stuff - so this could solve that problem. (Currently, I'm subscribing to Amazon and it has been working out ok - although you have to watch prices as they aren't always the best deal.)
 
there is nothing new here with the concept itself, the only new thing is that it's 3d printed.
 
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