I'm President of the Foresight Institute, and we've had a gentleman approach us with the idea of sponsoring a prize that would accelerate technology (and ameliorate poverty) in developing countries. One possibility I suggested was a prize to accelerate Reprap development. We have a draft of a statement but it needs a lot of work. Can anyone working on the reprap project help? Write me with your suggestions for improving the prize definition. It needs to be possible in the time available, but also hard enough that it isn't likely to happen without the prize. Here's the draft: RepRap Prize : An industrial infrastructure to provide the products and employment that elevates illiterate and semi-literate people in emerging economies to an intermediate level of human development can take decades to build. With the success of China in assimilating so much of the global economy’s low-cost manufacturing output, many of the world’s poorest nations have no opportunity to construct and secure their own manufacturing sector. Hence, this stage of human upliftment has become a chasm that many nations are finding difficult to cross. But if manufacturing itself can be brought to the scale that cottage industries operate in, then the scale of Chinese mass-manufacturing is no longer a requirement to be cost competitive. A technology that removes the fixed costs and volume necessities associated with heavy manufacturing can reduce the barriers to entry for the manufacturing of many commodity goods, and drive costs to unprecedented lows. The RepRap project is a self-replicating machine that could provide a disruptive influence in democratizing access to the manufacturing of commodities. An incentive-driven approach to the invention of such a technology at suitable cost targets would yield the maximum benefit. The key resistance points are presently the percentage of the self-replicated machine that can be replicated by a parent machine, and the availability of a suitable material that is sufficiently low in cost. Until the overwhelming majority of the machine’s parts are self-replicated, the true benefits are not yielded, and until the material used is inexpensive enough to surpass the cost barriers met by high-volume mass production, self-replicating machines are not fully competitive. The winner of the RepRap prize of up to $100,000 will be the inventor who can make a 3-D printer that makes use of a material that costs less than 10 cents per pound yet maintains a long-term durability of (TBD on parameters), and can create a self-replicating machine where at least 80% of the mass of the replicated machine is made from this material. Subsequently, each machine should also be able to produce items of daily utility for individual use or for export, using the same material. The deadline for this prize will be December 31, 2015. [hr] (Edit: I've locked this thread to further posts. This thread is historical discussion leading up to the initial prize announcement. -Sebastien) https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25671#msg-25671 Fri, 12 Jun 2026 23:41:28 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33828#msg-33828 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33828#msg-33828 Operating a laptop will require some academic training and sufficient funds to buy one (unless OLPC based), linux on board will require more ram and probably more processing power than the current electronics can handle.

This is a minor technical issue. We bootstrap by using a laptop, and then move to other computing like arduino mega, OLPC, or whatever later.

If you'd like to wiki-fiddle it and fill in your thoughts in a tidy way:
[[RWB/Hand_Scanner]]
[objects.reprap.org]

I think there is demand out there for this.

Also, I'm trying to lure the guy who wants it into the forum to talk to you guys, so wiki-fiddle away, but keep it tidy and clean, please.]]> SebastienBailard Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:01:22 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33822#msg-33822 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33822#msg-33822 -------------------------------------------------------
> 1) Sand is dirt cheap, crank the extruder up to
> 1,500 celcius and you have glass
> (Problems: cost of extruder, power consumption,
> fire hazard, purity of material)
>
> PourStraps, where we make molds, and then fill
> them with (polymer) concrete, etc. seems more
> straightforward. Polymer concrete is epoxy and
> rock filler.
The problem here is, what cheap material would you use to print the molds?
>
> 3) Attach a 3D scanner and make a simple copy
> machine
> (Problem: Quality of scan
>
> There's a RWB project proposal I've been thinking
> of, because a GPL hand laser scanner is needed in
> medicine. Rural dentistry, etc. (It helps
> generic RepRap users too.)
>
> CPU power/Memory required of the onboard
> firmware)
> This is why we have laptops, or linux on a board
> stuff.
Operating a laptop will require some academic training and sufficient funds to buy one (unless OLPC based), linux on board will require more ram and probably more processing power than the current electronics can handle.]]> anton Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:28:50 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33806#msg-33806 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33806#msg-33806 1) Sand is dirt cheap, crank the extruder up to 1,500 celcius and you have glass
(Problems: cost of extruder, power consumption, fire hazard, purity of material)

PourStraps, where we make molds, and then fill them with (polymer) concrete, etc. seems more straightforward. Polymer concrete is epoxy and rock filler.

3) Attach a 3D scanner and make a simple copy machine
(Problem: Quality of scan

There's a RWB project proposal I've been thinking of, because a GPL hand laser scanner is needed in medicine. Rural dentistry, etc. (It helps generic RepRap users too.)

CPU power/Memory required of the onboard firmware)
This is why we have laptops, or linux on a board stuff.]]> SebastienBailard Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:19:09 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33769#msg-33769 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33769#msg-33769
The price of a Mendel is already within the size of what can gotten through micro-loans, only modest changes will be required to make it operate without a supporting computer and be operable by somebody illiterate. The actual machine is within reach of 3rd. world cottage industry, the problem will be all the rest, power, extrusion material, etc.

Although going into solution mode is probably premature, I have a couple of suggestions, which all have their problems:

1) Sand is dirt cheap, crank the extruder up to 1,500 celcius and you have glass
(Problems: cost of extruder, power consumption, fire hazard, purity of material)

2) Extruder capable of using "homebrew PLA"
(Problem: access to the bacteria, purity of material)

3) Attach a 3D scanner and make a simple copy machine
(Problem: Quality of scan, CPU power/Memory required of the onboard firmware)]]> anton Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:22:13 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33767#msg-33767 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33767#msg-33767 This is why it's important to document your work. Sorry. That was snarky.

I've been wrestling with the "who documents parts and projects what where, and why" for a while. It's a library matter.]]> SebastienBailard Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:17:18 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33759#msg-33759 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33759#msg-33759 Right now i can improve or build on others ideas and work but with a price at stake it would make it morally harder as it will be as robbing fdavies (for my example) part of his money if i was to win.

This is why it's important to document your work. (Speaking as one of the librarians in charge of the documentation.)

---

I think it would be sensible to base the award at least in part on output from the machine rather than just the machines themselves.

That's a good point. Prizes for added functionality.

I'd suggest prizes for
(1) Pick and place*
(2) Spool Head*
(3) Laser Cutter*
(4) SLS*
(5) Increased print volume rate* (at a given ~.5 mm precision, each time we improve deposition rate by a factor of 1.2, we distribute prize money.

* - documented on wiki.

Etc.]]> SebastienBailard Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:28:34 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33608#msg-33608 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33608#msg-33608 murd Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:48:38 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33578#msg-33578 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33578#msg-33578
if someone is ready to give 200 000$ for a price why not put that money in form of subventions to help those out there develop their idea. I'm certain that lots of you out there don't always have the funds to pursue your ideas.

The committee could judge the submissions as in any other subvention programs.

I am uneasy with the whole idea of a prize to the final team or machine. Lets say for example i use Sarrus Linkage Mark III by fdavies and built a machine with it, as he will surely do, will i be eligible ?

Right now i can improve or build on others ideas and work but with a price at stake it would make it morally harder as it will be as robbing fdavies (for my example) part of his money if i was to win.

Robbob]]> Robbob Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:43:19 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33415#msg-33415 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33415#msg-33415 www.thingiverse.com] is comming closer, but the $.10 material is VERY limiting. Unless you can come up with a home made subs trait for printing we are not going to reach this.

Remember ABS is $10 a lb and we have to get to $.1 to win. It's not going to happen easily]]> spacexula Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:22:01 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33373#msg-33373 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,33373#msg-33373 vbgraphix Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Wed, 20 Jan 2010 02:32:34 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,26175#msg-26175 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,26175#msg-26175 reprap.org]]]> vonckx Erik Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:36:01 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,26159#msg-26159 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,26159#msg-26159 vbgraphix Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:14:23 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25931#msg-25931 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25931#msg-25931
I like the idea of a prize (or series of prizes) to help motivate the development and wider adoption of making useful things (e.g. via reprapping.) As far as prize criteria go, it is unfortunately quite hard to design explicit prize criteria that do not motivate behaviors we don't want. (Assuming, for the moment, that we even agree that secrecy or adding a massive, otherwise useless base to a reprap are behaviors "we" don't want. FWIW, I don't want to motivate those....)

If explicit prize criteria cannot be formulated (without incentives for bad behavior), I think the best that could be done is to have a prize committee with good judgment and minimal bias. Sometimes a little "strategic ambiguity" can help avoid people gaming a system. Properly selected, a committee could recognize significant progress and reward it.

I was motivated before this discussion, and I've seen that many others are as well. However, a prize -- and its attendant publicity -- could motivate other clever folks to think about and work on improving reprapping technology. Increasing the number of people experimenting would be a win, no matter who won the prizes.]]> Larry_Pfeffer Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:31:50 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25903#msg-25903 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25903#msg-25903 Forrest Higgs Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:44:05 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25882#msg-25882 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25882#msg-25882
I'm also wary of the use of components that do not have world-wide availability. For example, I'd like the residents of New York, New Zealand, Senegal, Cuba and Iran to be able to assemble these things.

Finally, I am not sure that one design fits worldwide needs. I could use bamboo as structural material to help me hit the 10c/lb figure but someone in Siberia might prefer to use spruce. What we're looking at is a design system rather than a specific machine, and I think that flexibility needs recognising in the prize.

Vik :v)]]> VikOlliver Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:23:18 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25873#msg-25873 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25873#msg-25873
In fact, you could look at medium sized awards to people who've seriously advanced the state of the art with a series of innovations and sometimes just developing know how using other people's innovations. I think there would be a lot less squawking if things were structured that way.

The awards committee could then be fairly flexible about what constituted a significant contribution to the field.

That, I like. It wouldn't have the problem of tending to suppress publication because the award would be largely dependent on the work individuals had done as reflected in their blogging.

Yes! :)-D]]> Forrest Higgs Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:34:45 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25863#msg-25863 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25863#msg-25863
Then it wouldn't be one big prize, but milestones of contribution to the cause. Or heck make the award as premium developed hardware that the winner can award on to deserving people or intuitions?]]> freds Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:59:19 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25862#msg-25862 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25862#msg-25862 -------------------------------------------------------
> I think that the only way to avoid the problem is
> to say that entries must be developed in public,
> leaving a dated audit trail on blogs, file
> repositories and wikis.
>
> We then have a situation analogous to a sporting
> competition in which teams' training schedules are
> public knowledge. This doesn't mean that all
> teams will end in a dead heat.

Unfortunately that wouldn't help either...

Say I "publish" all my inventions on a blog a wiki on my own website.
I just have to change some variables to make sure its invisible to anyone browsing my site until I send in my finished design.
All dates are okay, noone can prove I didn't publish.
"it's not my fault" that noone reads my site actually :D

We simply cannot make sure that a price like this will not lead to competition an secrecy.

As long as the result will be open source and we all carry on with at least trying to improve further more in public, I think that's okay.

And what about third party people,
the guys from fab@home for example... what if THEY build a machine that matches the official rules? without making the result open source, without developing in public....
We cannot control anybody but ourself,
not even the award commitee

So either we carry on with developement like there was no pricemoney involved and see how far we get and contribute the price to what ever we choose to be worth it (wwf, unicef, childrens hospitals all over the world, fountains for africa etc.pp)
or we care about the price and start making a machine without telling anybody.

In fact there are four to five people here in the forums that would actually have a chance to win the price (I'm NOT one of those unfortunately ;))
Loosing they're knowledge would slow down process until the end of 2015.

Personally I think the price is a bad thing for us at this time.
Can't help it.

'sid]]> sid Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:14:51 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25861#msg-25861 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25861#msg-25861
Also one could develop in the background and then publish it later in a flurry at the end. That would make it hard for somebody to take your ideas and run with them but would be hard to prove you have not blogged in realtime.]]> nophead Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:09:40 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25860#msg-25860 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25860#msg-25860
Given that one of the principles of RepRap is to make its development progress public as that development is being done, and given that an obligation to do that would put everyone on a level playing field, I think that a requirement to do that is a sine qua non for any prize. And I don't think it would be difficult to track.

"how likely is someone with a killer concept likely to want to publish it when money is at stake? The moment he publishes others with more time and money than he has can take it and run"

Well - that's simply answered too: if he doesn't publish it, the money is forfeit anyway.

When you run a race, you can see where the other competitors are and so adjust what you do accordingly. I can see no difference here.

I like Enrique's idea that the mass of vitamins should minimized. Just weigh 'em and write down the number of grammes. Simple - and it can't be faked.]]> Adrian Bowyer Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:53:28 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25855#msg-25855 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25855#msg-25855
Viktor]]> VDX Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:17:46 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25851#msg-25851 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25851#msg-25851
A potential problem I see is that given the open source nature of the project, It is highly likely that the winner may use concepts previously developed by other teams. Therefore I would suggest splitting the prize to say, 60k to the winning entry and a further 4 prizes of 10k each to "significant milestones" e.g. printable steppers.... that were required for the winning entry to function. These milestones could have been achieved by other teams and would therefore hinder secrecy.]]> Rhys Jones Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:34:17 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25850#msg-25850 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25850#msg-25850
As well, how likely is someone with a killer concept likely to want to publish it when money is at stake? The moment he publishes others with more time and money than he has can take it and run. I am reminded of an old, old habit the American National Science Foundation used to have. More than a few NSF project managers there would take a nice proposal from somebody with no clout, make a copy and send it to somebody in the research community who was in a position to do the project manager some good.

I had one of these creatures tell me of the practice as being one of "the right proposal but the wrong principal investigator".]]> Forrest Higgs Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:58:03 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25835#msg-25835 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25835#msg-25835
Instead, the mass of vitamins should minimized. This avoids gaming with multifunction parts, or massive parts or lowball parts pricing. Mass can not be gamed in any way.

I also agree with Adrian that entries must be developed in public.]]> Enrique Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:17:03 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25834#msg-25834 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25834#msg-25834 Adrian Bowyer Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:24:34 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25833#msg-25833 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25833#msg-25833
I think that the only way to avoid the problem is to say that entries must be developed in public, leaving a dated audit trail on blogs, file repositories and wikis.

We then have a situation analogous to a sporting competition in which teams' training schedules are public knowledge. This doesn't mean that all teams will end in a dead heat.]]> Adrian Bowyer Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:21:36 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25818#msg-25818 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25818#msg-25818 Forrest Higgs Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:13:11 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25817#msg-25817 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25817#msg-25817
But you're right - people or groups hoping to win the price will start to develop in secrecy as opponents, not in cooperation with others ...

Viktor]]> VDX Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:52:44 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25814#msg-25814 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25814#msg-25814 nophead Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:12:31 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25793#msg-25793 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?171,25671,25793#msg-25793
This part is fixed to an array of valves, which could open and close the canales for pressure, so the elastic body deforms and moves the tip with the toolhead around.

With some of the canales connected to pressure sensors, you should be able to measure the distortion and actual position, so a feedback for close-loop steering is possible.

(sidenote - this sounds a bit like the nanotec-assemblers, but with elastic morphing bodies this could be made in a macroscopic range too)

So the partcount reduces to the single morphing body, the valve-array and the valves (maybe reprappable too), an oszillating pressure-pump and a fairly complex software on the microcontroller ...

Viktor]]> VDX Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:08:43 -0400