Big thanks to our friends at ImageThink!
We took the time to check out Bre Pettis, our Opening Remarks speaker and the CEO of MakerBot, today in Exhibit Hall 5 at 2pm. Pettis talked about how his company seeks to empower people to fundamentally alter the global supply chain, change the way businesses interact with customers and make their own stuff.
Highlights included: MakerBot's Thingiverse currently has more than 40K things to choose from (and 3D print) so the layperson doesn't even have to know CAD! Pettis emphasized that his goal is to make hardware accessible, fun and playful using the example of a Duplo / Brio connector that didn't exist before the advent of commercial 3D printing. On a more intensely heartfelt note, Pettis showed the audience how 3D printing has allowed children who need prosthetics to print out Robohands to enhance and increase their mobility.
Bre Pettis by Tammy Lynn GilmorePettis also used the platform at SXSW Interactive to make two compelling announcements for the Makersphere. He unveiled a MakerBot Digitizer Prototype that uses lasers to scan and collate points on a real-world object and wraps it all up into a 3D model. On his slide, he described the Digitizer thusly:
