A team of French students replaced the extruder of a Makerbot Replicator with a real tattoo instrument and transformed the 3D printer into a functional tattoo machine. The students created the 3D Printer X Tattoo Machine project as part of the Public Domain Remix event hosted by the French Ministry of Culture. The event gave students eight hours to hack an electronic device and invited Le FabShop as a manufacturing expert to help the students with their projects.
I actually checked to see if today was April Fool’s but, seeing as how it wasn’t and seeing as how it would be quite simple to recreate this cool piece of hardware, I figured we could check it out. Basically it’s a DIY tattoo machine that uses a Makerbot base with a needle attached to the extruder. To use it you simply strap your arm to the platform (!!!) and wait for the robot to blow some Sailor Jerry ink into your flesh. You can view the complete instructions on Instructables or you can simply watch the video and imagine the future when reality mimics literature and this becomes the machine from Kafka’s The Penal Colony. Regardless, tread carefully when mixing 3D printers, ink, and sharp needles.