#EDEarthHero: A 3D printer to grow a designer garden

From plain text on paper to 3D objects, printing has come a long way since its invention by the Chinese. Individual wooden blocks hand dipped in dyes were used to publish manuscripts and other documents. Fast forward to the 21st century and it’s now possible to do the same…with plants!

Tiskaj Zeleno or PrintGreen is a contraption invented as a study project by five Slovenian students of University of Maribor, Maja Petek, Tina Zidansek, Urska Skaza, Danica Rzenicnik and Simon Trzan. It is capable of producing designs that grow with the help of soil, water and seeds. The machine is hooked onto a computer with microcontrollers and a customised software where the pattern is keyed in. The code is then read by the innovation that reproduces the form on Styrodur plastic covered with black felt and bolstered with sponge. The “ink” is applied on it and left to dry. Watch the “living” motif grow as it germinates within a few days.

Website: www.print-green.org

Also read: A DIY, solar powered phone operated via a cellphone