We’ve certainly had our share of disappointment with 3D printing, due to the simple fact that we can’t help but expect each new MakerBot to perform like the Star Trek replicator or the Diamond Age matter compiler. Chris Fenton of Brooklyn hacker collective NYC Resistor, however, has finally let our dreams take flight. Fenton is building a working electromechanical computer with his own 3D printer. The computer itself still appears far down the line, but the punch card reader below is in a working prototype state, and Fenton hopes he can have a more polished version ready for an interactive art show on May 19th.
A 3D-printed punch card reader: the first step to a working printed computer
Chris Fenton hopes to build a working electromechanical computer out of parts made by a 3D printer. He has currently developed a working prototype of a punch card reader.
Chris Fenton hopes to build a working electromechanical computer out of parts made by a 3D printer. He has currently developed a working prototype of a punch card reader.
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
Fenton started his project in October of 2011 by printing a mechanical counting device of the sort used in early computers. In that interview, he laid out his reasons for expanding it into a full electromechanical computer: “Because I have a 3D printer, and I can.”
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