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Blog posts
1 - 30 of 54 results

7 talks on the wonder of 3D printing

From ordering movie tickets to booking a dentist appointment, mobile and web apps have made the tasks of daily life easier. But there are some things that an app can’t do. Standing in line at the pharmacy is one of them. In today’s talk, Lee Cronin asks: “Could we make a really cool universal chemistry set? In essence, could we app chemistry?” ...
Posted February 7, 2013
https://blog.ted.com/2013/02/07/7-talks-on-the-wonder-of-3d-printing

3D printing a better socket for prosthetic limbs

A persistent sight in David Sengeh's childhood, growing up in Sierra Leone: amputees. Losing a limb was an all-too-common fact in the civil-war-torn region. But the aftermath was almost worse, Sengeh saw, as he watched family members and friends struggle with ill-fitting, uncomfortable prosthetics that hurt too much to wear. Here, the 201...
Posted February 20, 2014
https://ideas.ted.com/today-the-bionic-woman-can-just-go-ahead-and-print-her-own-parts

How 3D printing will turn us all (back) into makers: Avi Reichental at TED2014

3D printing pioneer Avi Reichental is nostalgic for a time he never quite experienced -- a time of hyper-local, made-to-order, personalized craftsmanship. While the industrial revolution did a lot to advance humanity, says Reichental, it eradicated local manufacturing that people like his grandfather, a cobbler, excelled in. It atrophied socie...
Posted March 19, 2014
https://blog.ted.com/2014/03/19/how-3d-printing-will-turn-us-all-back-into-makers-avi-reichental-at-ted2014

See self-assembly and 4D printing in action

A part on the outside of a spaceship that morphs, rather than requiring an astronaut to perform a risky maneuver. Plumbing pipes able to bend and flex based on the needs of the water flowing through them. Furniture that assembles itself, no screwdriver required. Buildings with the ability to repair themselves when something goes awry. Thes...
Posted April 4, 2013
https://blog.ted.com/2013/04/04/see-self-assembly-and-4d-printing-in-action

A very cool new video: A brief introduction to 4D printing

It's not often that you see a designer throw their creation on the ground and break it to smithereens. But that's exactly what TED Fellow Skylar Tibbits does in the video above. Why? Because he works in the Self-Assembly Lab at MIT. When the pieces break apart, they quickly re-assemble themselves, as if the film were playing in reverse. In...
Posted December 18, 2013
https://blog.ted.com/2013/12/18/a-brief-introduction-to-4d-printing

A 3D printed future: 10 surprising things we could see printed soon

It is the dawn of the era of 3D printing. From artificial prosthetics to very real human kidneys to filigree skull sculptures -- the number and variety of applications for this technology are growing, layer by printed layer. Combine this with the decreasing cost of owning a printer, as well as the cheaper cost of manufacturing in general, an...
Posted July 29, 2013
https://blog.ted.com/2013/07/29/a-3d-printed-future-10-surprising-things-we-could-see-printed-soon

Building connections -- between toys ...

Here's something else fun to do with a 3D printer: Designers at Free Art and Technology have created an open-source template to connect all the different building blocks you used as a kid: Legos, Tinkertoys, Lincoln Logs and more (and maybe in the future: littleBits, from today's TEDTalk...). It's a fascinating project, both for the exciting...
Posted March 29, 2012
https://blog.ted.com/2012/03/29/building-connections-between-toys

Welcome to 4D printing: A Q&A with Skylar Tibbits at TED2013

We've all heard of 3D printing. But what the heck is 4D printing? During TED Senior Fellow's Skylar Tibbits' talk at TED University on Thursday, he unveiled the concept -- 3D printed objects that seamlessly continue to expand, fold and harden into different forms (see video below). The talk has gotten a lot of attention. We spoke to Skylar a...
Posted March 1, 2013
https://blog.ted.com/2013/03/01/welcome-to-4d-printing-a-qa-with-skylar-tibbits-at-ted2013

News of the light and sweet

A powerful bitter sweet As race continues to dominate the news, it seems like perfect timing for artist Kara Walker’s latest piece, her first large-scale installation, housed in the shell of the old Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Shown above, the piece has a grand title: At the behest of Creative Time Kara E. Walker has conf...
Posted May 7, 2014
https://ideas.ted.com/news-of-the-light-and-sweet

How drinking affects your microbes, how teachers can learn grit, the future of love and much more

By Olivia Cucinotta and Emily McManus Here, a look at just a few members of the TED community making headlines this week. Rob Knight’s American Gut project released its latest results this week, with data from the microbiomes (i.e., the microbial world inside each human body) of 3,238 participants so far. Some interesting facts they’ve c...
Posted July 11, 2014
https://blog.ted.com/2014/07/11/how-drinking-affects-your-microbes-and-other-ted-community-news

A photograph by Paul Nicklen shows the tragedy of extinction, and more news from TED speakers

The past few weeks have brimmed over with TED-related news. Here, some highlights: This is what extinction looks like. Photographer Paul Nicklen shocked the world with footage of a starving polar bear that he and members of his conservation group SeaLegacy captured in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. “It rips your heart out of your chest,” Ni...
Posted December 21, 2017
https://blog.ted.com/2017/12/21/a-photograph-by-paul-nicklen-shows-the-tragedy-of-extinction-and-more-news-from-ted-speakers

Video: Opening titles for Tech Impact, Session 11 of TEDGlobal 2013

Eero Johannes Pitkänen introduces session 11 of TEDGlobal 2013 with a perfect synthesis of visual and sound effects. To a tinny metal drum-beat, colored Tetris blocks bounce up and down and in and out of shapes as each chord of sound has its impact. Describing himself as a “designer/illustrator during the day, musician during the night,” ...
Posted June 14, 2013
https://blog.ted.com/2013/06/14/video-opening-titles-for-tech-impact-session-11-of-tedglobal-2013

An ambitious plan to explore our oceans, and more news from TED speakers

  [embed]https://www.ted.com/talks/ray_dalio_how_to_build_a_company_where_the_best_ideas_win[/embed] The past few weeks have brimmed over with TED-related news. Below, some highlights. Exploring the ocean like never before. A school of ocean-loving TED speakers have teamed up to launch OceanX, an international initiative dedicated to di...
Posted June 15, 2018
https://blog.ted.com/2018/06/15/an-ambitious-plan-to-explore-our-oceans-and-more-news-from-ted-speakers

Creating a world of abundance: Peter Diamandis at TED2012

Photo: James Duncan Davidson Chris Anderson comes on stage to acknowledge that the TED stage is more often the domain of the techno-optimist than the doomer. So, in somewhat stark contrast with Paul Guilding, the founder, chairman and CEO of the X Prize Foundation, Peter Diamandis now takes the stage. Diamandis starts off his talk wi...
Posted February 28, 2012
https://blog.ted.com/2012/02/28/creating-a-world-of-abundance-peter-diamandis-at-ted2012

The future unfolding: Fellows Friday with Skylar Tibbits

Skylar Tibbits makes things that assemble themselves, with potential large-scale applications from self-adjusting water pipes to self-assembling structures in space. At his recently founded Self-Assembly Lab at MIT, he's pioneering 4D printing -- using smart materials to make objects that change shape and evolve. Here, he explains how 4D print...
Posted April 12, 2013
https://blog.ted.com/2013/04/12/the-future-unfolding-fellows-friday-with-skylar-tibbits

In short: A powerful spoken word reflection on bullying, the history of Bill Cosby's sweaters

Here, some staff picks of smart, funny, bizarre and cool stuff on the interwebs this week: In case you haven't seen it yet, To This Day is a beautiful collaborative project that combines spoken word poetry and a flurry of eclectic animations to raise awareness about bullying. Watch seven TED Talks on the wonder of 3D printing. The f...
Posted February 21, 2013
https://blog.ted.com/2013/02/21/in-short-a-powerful-spoken-word-reflection-on-bullying-the-history-of-bill-cosbys-sweaters

In Short: Journalist 'duped' by Asma al-Assad, a library opens a ‘maker center’

Some great reads from around the internet today: Journalist Joan Juliet Buck tells the story behind her infamous Vogue puff piece on Asma al-Assad (above), saying that the First Lady of Syria "duped" her. Buck now writes of al-Assad's husband, "I didn’t know I was going to meet a murderer. There was no way of knowing that Assad, the meek...
Posted July 30, 2012
https://blog.ted.com/2012/07/30/in-short-journalist-duped-by-asma-al-assad-a-library-opens-a-maker-center

Sketches of a TED event, by a storyboard artist

Nesta Morgan is a storyboard artist. And while in the audience at a TED Salon in London in May, she found herself so inspired by several speakers that she took to sketching them -- and their ideas --  as they spoke. Above, see Nesta’s sketch of today’s TEDTalk, “Pam Warhurst: How we can eat our landscapes.” “I particularly enjoyed Pam's t...
Posted August 9, 2012
https://blog.ted.com/2012/08/09/sketches-of-a-ted-event-by-a-storyboard-artist

Altair at TED2018: In the "Age of Amazement," simulation drives innovation

In a corner of the Vancouver Convention Center -- set against a beautiful backdrop of Vancouver Harbour and the mountains of the North Shore, and right between a comfy simulcast lounge and a pop-up coffee and espresso shop -- it's hard to miss an eye-catching vintage red car. It's the anchor of Altair's exhibit gallery, showing off the possi...
Posted April 13, 2018
https://blog.ted.com/2018/04/13/altair-at-ted2018-in-the-age-of-amazement-simulation-drives-innovation

Barack Obama’s 2013 State of the Union: Talks for deeper thinking on the issues

President Barack Obama ended his 2013 State of the Union address just minutes ago saying, “We are citizens. It’s a word that doesn’t just describe our nationality or legal status. It describes the way we’re made … Well into our third century as a nation, it remains the task of us all, as citizens of these United States, to be the authors of the ...
Posted February 12, 2013
https://blog.ted.com/2013/02/12/barack-obamas-2013-state-of-the-union-talks-for-deeper-thinking-on-the-issues

Opening Gambit: A recap of the talks in Session 1 at TED2015

"It takes courage to uncover the truth," says Chris Anderson, opening the first session of TED2015, Opening Gambit. "The speakers this week -- their courage and brilliance are going to rewire your brain. This dare thing is not just for them -- it's for all of us." These six speakers set the tone for Truth & Dare: The mega-challenge of...
Posted March 16, 2015
https://blog.ted.com/2015/03/16/opening-gambit-session-1-at-ted2015

A voyage to our closest star, the surprising paradox of an elephant’s brain, and rethinking college rankings

As usual, the TED community has lots of news to share this week. Below, some highlights. A 4.37-lightyear starshot. Humanity has sent people to the moon and rovers to Mars. It might be about time we embark on interstellar travel. Russian philanthropist Yuri Milner, along with board member Stephen Hawking, unveiled a plan on Tuesday to sen...
Posted April 14, 2016
https://blog.ted.com/2016/04/14/a-voyage-to-our-closest-star-the-surprising-paradox-of-an-elephants-brain-and-rethinking-college-rankings

Biohacker meets Willy Wonka: Lucy McRae on the making of the incredible edible music video for Architecture in Helsinki

TED Fellow Lucy McRae (watch her TED Talk) is a body architect -- an artist who explores how technology and the body may someday meet and merge. Her latest project is a fantastical and frothy music video for "Dream a Little Crazy” by Australian band Architecture in Helsinki. Watch the mouth-watering video above, and then read all about how Mc...
Posted February 14, 2014
https://blog.ted.com/2014/02/14/lucy-mcrae-on-the-making-of-the-music-video-for-architecture-in-helsinki

X Marks the Spot: A flashmob in Yemen, absurdist art in Kentucky and edible sugar sculptures in California

In his TED Talk, “The shared experience of absurdity,” Charlie Todd shared the hilarity he creates for his fellow New Yorkers through flashmobs like the No Pants Subway Ride. The flashmob idea has, of course, spread widely. In the video above, watch one coordinated by the organizers of TEDxAden, a spontaneous musical performance in the elevat...
Posted January 17, 2014
https://blog.ted.com/2014/01/17/x-marks-the-spot-january-17-2014

"If I don’t ask, I won’t get": A recap of "I heart design," All-Stars Session 4 at TED2014

By Liz Jacobs and Helen Walters It’s often said that good design is invisible design — it makes things easy and delightful without us realizing it. But as host Chee Pearlman reminds us at the top of the session, we're here to honor the "D" in "TED." From the artistic to the architectural to the auditory, the eight speakers in this All-Sta...
Posted March 19, 2014
https://blog.ted.com/2014/03/19/if-i-dont-ask-i-wont-get-a-recap-of-i-heart-design-all-stars-session-4-at-ted2014

In short: The true story of Kid President, the danger of Dr. Oz

Here, some staff picks of smart, funny, bizarre and cool stuff on the interwebs from this (and last) week: The true story of Kid President: Watch this behind-the-scenes video of everyone's favorite new politician. [YouTube] And make sure to watch his pep talk, posted on TED last week. Don't miss Specter's talk on science denial. Ali...
Posted February 9, 2013
https://blog.ted.com/2013/02/09/in-short-the-true-story-of-kid-president-the-danger-of-dr-oz

Tinker Make Do: Session 2 at TEDGlobal2012

Click above to watch the session-opening animation. The extraordinary rise of virtual tools for collaboration and invention have given rise to a new form of creativity: making physical things. From the maker community to hobbyists to open-sourced machined blueprints, there has been a huge movement toward taking the ethos of the open, sharab...
Posted June 26, 2012
https://blog.ted.com/2012/06/26/tinker-make-do-session-2-at-tedglobal2012

The world's best creative director: Nature

What's that too-often quoted aphorism? "Good artists copy; great artists steal"? In this nuanced conversation, biologist and founder of Biomimicry 3.8 Janine Benyus speaks with Tim Brown, chief executive of IDEO, to discuss what's really interesting about borrowing. Tim Brown: As a creative person, I’ve always believed that I can’t be creativ...
Posted February 7, 2014
https://ideas.ted.com/nature-knows-best-a-biologist-and-a-designer-take-creative-direction-from-the-earths-operating-system

Machines might actually be better than humans at creativity. So … what’s left for us to do?

But some jobs -- and industries -- will still require a human touch. Technology researchers Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson have a guess as to which ones. A surprising report published this spring projects that 30 percent of current jobs in the UK might be replaced by automation in the next 15 years. That number is 21 percent in Japan, 35 p...
Posted August 4, 2017
https://ideas.ted.com/machines-might-actually-be-better-than-humans-at-creativity-so-whats-left-for-us-to-do

2013: The Year in Ideas

In 2013, TED published more than 250 talks, each with an idea worth spreading. And yet, certain ideas seemed to resonate throughout the year, as if speakers at different events were singing parts of the same choral symphony. As 2013 draws to a close, here is a look at some of the big ideas we parsed this year. Consider it the rousing finale ...
Posted December 19, 2013
https://blog.ted.com/2013/12/19/2013-the-year-in-ideas
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