Three students who dropped out of the nation’s most prestigious university to focus on their dream of creating a 3D printer that is accessible to all say they have no regrets about leaving school.
“I want to be in control of my own destiny,” said Ko Hsuan-en (柯軒恩), one of the trio of former National Taiwan University students behind FLUX, an all-in-one 3D printer that is ready for mass production after reaching its crowd-sourcing funding goal.
Ko said the vision to create the forthcoming printer was born out of a collaboration with roommate Yu Chun-jen (游雋仁), then a mechanical engineering student at the university.
Ko and Yu’s rudimentary tinkering led to the formation of a team of five like-minded students, but en route to making their concept a reality, three of them ended up dropping out of the university.
“I have no regrets about dropping out,” Ko said. “After all, it is not so uncommon nowadays. My goal now is to see FLUX stage an initial public offering.”
Unlike other 3D printers on the market, FLUX is marketed as an accessible alternative that is simple to set up. Most notably, the unit has an unlimited capacity for expansion through modules and is equipped with an integrated 3D scanner.
Using a mobile app to control the machine, users can clone 3D objects without having to master complicated modeling software thanks to the scanner.
FLUX can be fitted with a wide array of modules, such as a 200mW laser engraving head. Other modules currently in development include a dual extruder, a ceramics extruder and a pastry extruder to “print” edible objects from ingredients such as chocolate and jam.
All modules can be connected to the 3D printer without the use of tools by an innovative magnet locking mechanism.
FLUX also has an open module software development kit designed to pave the way for collaborations across user communities.
In recognition of their innovation, the FLUX team has been selected by non-profit SVT Angels to embark on a three-month mentoring program in California’s Silicon Valley, the technology capital of the world.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS