www.3ders.org

Sep 11, 2016 | By Andre

For all of the excitement surrounding 3D printing over the last few years it is easy to forget that ultimately the technology is, in its purest form, a tool. A tool to create prototypes, works of art and all manner of fabrication possible with a little foresight but a tool no less.

So when I heard 3D printers were used to make jigs in a tutorial for a Raspberry Pi driven Smart Mirror I wasn’t surprised in the least.

But before I go on, you might be wondering what a smart mirror is. In short, it is a insanely cool and potentially practical device that has been popping up on YouTube and reddit for about a year now. Typically driven by open-source hardware and software, it is a reflective mirror pane that is clear enough to display a high resolution LCD screen behind it and has voice and sometimes touch activation features included.

But until now, the instructions on how to make your own haven’t been clearly laid out. That has changed thanks to Hacker House’s video tutorial below and their informative hackaday page.

For the most part, the DIY project involves sourcing materials (monitor, wooden planks, mirror, glue, HDMI cable), 3D printing corner jigs and some careful assembly. Tips on how to cut the mirror without cracking, why a low-profile monitor is best, how to access the github and how to modify the code for your own liking are all included in the video.

From a 3D print perspective, the jig is relatively straightforward and should be printed with little problem on just about an desktop 3D printer. Since it is load bearing (if only a little bit), giving it a good amount of internal density (anything over 20% should do) and just repeating it four times over until all corners are accounted for shouldn't take too long to complete.

For the time being, although the project is complete from a functional perspective, it is still early days in the recent wave of smart mirror technology. But just like every open-project out there today, a community is starting to form. In the end, while maybe not the most revolutionary invention of all time, smart mirrors are super cool and scream science fiction all over. And this tutorial is certainly a good way to get your next DIY project underway.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Application

 

 

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