This book is dedicated to my father, Joseph C. Diana,
who taught me to find wonder in everything.

LEO the Maker Prince: Journeys in 3D Printing
by Carla Diana

Visit LeoTheMakerPrince.com to learn more, or go to Thingiverse.com/LeoTheMakerPrince
to download the objects in this book.

Copyright © 2014 Carla Diana. All rights reserved.

Printed in Canada.

Published by Maker Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472.

Maker Media books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use.
Online editions are also available for most titles (http://my.safaribooksonline.com). For more
information, contact O’Reilly Media’s corporate/institutional sales department: 800-998-9938 or
corporate@oreilly.com.

Editor: Brian Jepson
Story, illustration, and object design: Carla Diana
Book design: Nicholas Lim
Story editor: Cindy D. Hanson
Photography: Claudia Christen
Design and production assistance: Alexa Forney

December 2013: First Edition

The Make logo and Maker Media logo are registered trademarks of Maker Media, Inc.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are
claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Maker Media, Inc.,
was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author
assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the
information contained herein.

ISBN: 978-1-4571-8314-0

[TI]

[2013-12-13]

FOREWORD

2013 has often been called “the year of the 3D printer.”
While the technology for automatically fabricating solid,
3Dimensional objects based on stereolithography has been
around for decades, it was so expensive that it could only be
used in industrial and commercial applications. Only very
sophisticated manufacturing facilities and design firms
could afford one, and the parts themselves were expensive to
produce, compared to the price of a similar, mass-produced
part. They were also delicate and highly limited in terms of
material qualities.

What led up to this change in 2013 was the fact that the DIY
movement encouraged people tinkering with making their
own kinds of electronic, customized devices. Built from off-the-
shelf components, housed in laser-cut panels, and assembled
by hand, these devices formed the foundation for visions of
new products. One such device was the MakerBot, launched in
2009 by MakerBot founders Bre Pettis, Adam Mayer, and Zach
“Hoeken” Smith, who created the first affordable 3D printer at a
hacker space in Brooklyn, N.Y., NYC Resistor. With their vision
of creating “3D printing for the masses,” the MakerBot marked
what might be called a “Macintosh moment,” referring to the
turning point when a vision of turning an expensive piece of
equipment made for business use only (the computer) into a
central and ubiquitous part of everyday life became reality.

In 2009 the first MakerBots were sold at a price of $1300, over
one tenth the price of the Dimension uPrint, one of the leading
professional 3D printers at the time. By mid-2013, 30,000
MakerBots were out in the world, and more than a dozen other
companies creating different types of inexpensive 3D printers
had formed.

While the vision of 3D printers for the home has become a
reality, there are still many predictions for how exactly they will
be used or what impact they will have on everyday life. Some
theories say people will download their products, making a
single object from a digital file rather than going to a store
and buying a mass-produced item off a shelf. Others predict
the printer will be used to enhance or modify existing objects,
allowing people to customize products to suit their individual
tastes and needs. And others believe that the 3D printer
will spawn new types of “microfacturing” businesses where
entrepreneurs with new ideas can quickly build, replicate, and
distribute new products themselves, with very little overhead
and startup cost.

This book is a celebration of those possible futures. Though the
visions may be a little blurry today, clouded by the limitations
of current machines and material combinations, they are
exciting glimpses into how putting new technologies into the
hands of regular people like you and me can change the world.

In sharing these visions through a book intended for 5 to 8
year-olds (and creators of all ages), we hope to not only mark
this moment in time, but to inspire a rich future of invention
for decades to come. By putting these ideas into the hands of
children, we can jumpstart our ambassadors for the future.

With excitement and a loving nod to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,
we invite you to enjoy LEO the Maker Prince.

When I was small,

I
used clay to create...

I made a spiral slide for a bee. The
grownups said, “That’s very nice,
Carla. You made a pipe.”

So I tried again, creating version
two, and the grownups said, “That’s
very nice, Carla. You made a bolt.”

But I was determined. Version three
included seesaws for caterpillars,
jungle gyms for ants, and sleeping
chambers for butterflies. And again,
I was misunderstood. I wondered,
“How can they not see what I see?”

And so, right then and there, at the
age of eight, I gave up what might
have been a magnificent career as a
sculptor. I put away my clay, packed
up my masterpieces, and proceeded
to move on to more practical pursuits.

In the end, I became an
accountant. Instead of talking
to people about seesaws for
caterpillars, I talk about dollars
and sense, celebrating the
importance of balance sheets,
annual reports, and the ever
important ROI, return on
investment.

I moved to New York City (the
capital of all things math and
money) with all of my boxes
(including my misunderstood
sculptural masterpieces) and took
a job as a bean counter, number
cruncher and money mover at
the firm of Johnson, Smith and
McElroy. And I never thought
about sculpture or art again, until…

That day of the big storm,

You see, I am an accountant who
loves to ride my bike everywhere,
even if it isn’t the most practical
means of transportation. Biking
allows me time to turn off all the
numbers and ponder, ever so
slightly and lightly, the worlds of
butterflies and bees. That is how I
found myself biking back from a
client meeting that had taken me

from Manhattan across the Brooklyn
Bridge and into the heart of New
York City’s second largest borough,
Brooklyn, or, the other Manhattan.
By the time the meeting was over,
Hurricane Sandy was percolating
and proving punctual, and I was
pedaling as fast as possible to get
back home safely.

When all of a sudden, a gust of wind
took me, and the next thing I knew,
I was splat on the pavement. The
world was spinning, and blurry. I
believe I blacked out.

Because when I came to I could just
about make out a silhouette looming
over me. Too round to be a person
and looking a little like a—no, it
couldn’t be. Or could it?—a robot?
Here? Now? I thought to myself,
“How hard had I actually fallen?”

But it was a robot! I admit to being
a tiny bit frightened, but there was
something very intriguing about
this little mechanical character. He
had chunky legs, and straight arms
that gripped a small tray in front of
him. Behind him was a special kind
of backpack that held spools of what
looked like black and white wire. A
miniature version of the mechanical
arms you see on construction
equipment emerged from behind him
like a swirling and swinging tail.

And then the robot spoke. “Hello
there! My name is Leonardo, or
LEO, for short. What’s yours?” I
figured it couldn’t hurt to respond.

“I’m Carla.”

“Hello, Carla! It’s a pleasure to
make your acquaintance. Looks
as if we are in the midst of a fast
approaching storm, so would you
please draw me a sheep?”

“Excuse me?” I was mystified by
such an artistic request at such
an inappropriate time, but I didn’t
want to be impolite. “I’m sorry, but
I believe you must have mistaken
me for someone else.”

“Oh no.” he said, “I don’t actually
make mistakes. You are just
the person I’m looking for,” he
insisted. “The coordinates indicate
that this particular superstorm
will be bearing down on us rather
quickly, so perhaps we should get
right to it. Would you please draw
me a sheep?”

“Well you’re not kidding about the
storm and that’s why we both really
need to get home as soon as we
can. Besides, I’m an accountant. I
work in finance. Which means that,
unfortunately I don’t draw pictures
of anything, let alone a sheep.” The
sky was filling with thunder clouds
and getting darker and darker.

Then I pulled my bike up off the
ground and noticed that the chain
had snapped. Panic ran through me
as I realized I was a long way from
where I needed to be.

And then, I’m not at all proud of it,
but I threw a bit of a fit. Right then
and there in the street.

“Oh my,” LEO said, “I haven’t
been programmed to process
such behaviors!”

“Sorry. I just don’t know what I’m
going to do.”

“Well, I feel absolutely certain of
your ability to draw me a sheep. So
why don’t you do that? Please?”

He was so persistent. And I did need
to get a hold of myself. Maybe this
robot distraction would be a good
way to calm down for a moment so I
could think clearly again and figure
out how to get home.

“Okay, LEO. Fine. You drive a hard
bargain”, I said, “I’ll draw you a
sheep. Here goes.” I quickly pulled
some paper and a ball point pen out
of my knapsack and began drawing
the best sheep I could muster, given
my accounting education. It felt so
foreign at first, but then something
from my sculpting days began to
take hold. My imagination took
over. Lines poured out through the
pen and onto the paper, and lo and
behold, I had drawn a sheep!

LEO exclaimed, and extended the
tray he was holding so that it lay flat
in front of me. It seemed to be an
invitation of some sort.

“Here?” I asked. “Precisely!” he said.
So I put my drawing on top of the
tray, wondering what this little robot
could be up to. He tilted it back
towards him just slightly as projected
light ran back and forth across the
page. It was kind of spectacular.

“Scanning complete!” he said with
authority, and tilted the drawing so I
could take it back.

LEO then lifted his arms and the
tray he was holding became a
horizontal platform above his head.
The tail-like contraption attached
to his back began to move and
positioned itself in the middle of the
platform. I was mesmerized. Magic
was unfolding right in front of me.

“Heating up the filament now,” LEO
declared, and I began seeing waves
of heat radiating from the nozzle.
“LEO? Hello? Oh dear. Is that, um,
supposed to happen?”

“Part of the process! Rest assured!
Not to worry.” And a few moments
later he proclaimed, “Beginning
build!” His announcement was filled
with such excitement that I swear he
sang a little tune.

Surprisingly, the nozzle above his
head began to move in an elegant
dance as melted plastic came out of Surprisingly, the nozzle above his
head began to move in an elegant
dance as melted plastic came out of
it and landed on the platform.

it and landed on the platform. The
spool on his back turned ever so
slightly as the wire was drawn into
his tail, emerging moments later as
a thin line of hot, melted plastic. The spool on his back turned ever so
slightly as the wire was drawn into
his tail, emerging moments later as
a thin line of hot, melted plastic.

LEO was generating amazing heat
and precise movements. But to
what end? I had no idea. And then,
four pools of plastic appeared on
the tray. “Sheep feet?!” I exclaimed,
as I realized that the black squares LEO was generating amazing heat
and precise movements. But to
what end? I had no idea. And then,
four pools of plastic appeared on
the tray. “Sheep feet?!” I exclaimed,
as I realized that the black squares
matched the bottom view of the
sheep I had drawn.

matched the bottom view of the
sheep I had drawn.

More graceful robot arm ballet
happened before my eyes, as layer
after layer of plastic was placed on
top of one another.

Eventually I could see the sheep’s
legs take form, and then the body,
and finally the head!

LEO exclaimed, as he presented me
with a fully formed sheep.

“That was amazing!” I had almost
forgotten my aches and scrapes and
the fact that I was stranded. And even
though I could still see the broken
chain on my bicycle out of the corner
of my eye, it was the last thing on
my mind.

I needed to know more. “How did you
do that? Where did you come from?”

“I come from the land of Kings,”
he said.

“Kings?”

“Well, some call it ‘Kings County’,
and most call it ‘Brooklyn’, but I
prefer the royal aspect. Even though
my name is LEO, I’m sometimes
called the Maker Prints. Get it?”

“Uh, no, not really. ‘Prince?’ As in
soon to be king?”

“No, I am a 3D printer. I make 3D
prints—that’s ‘ts’—from files that are
put into my memory by following
the code in the file and moving my
tail and tray to and fro while melting
plastic through my nozzle. The
melted plastic lands on my tray in
layers, one at a time, until eventually
a physical form is built up vertically.
I was constructed from spare parts
and electronics in a warehouse
space in Fort Greene, and was on
my way to an artist’s home.” LEO
pointed to an address label attached
to his back. I read it aloud, “Sally
Harris, 166 Seventh Street, Brooklyn,
NY 11215.”

“Exactly. But my delivery truck
must have hit a particularly bad
pothole because I felt a big bump
and then fell off the truck and onto
the street.” I stopped him with a tad
bit of skepticism. “Wait. You fell
off a truck?”

“Oh yes,” Leo confirmed, “The
doors flew open and I was hanging
on for dear life, but I went toppling
out instead. Sadly, the driver was
unaware and just kept going.
I’m hoping he’ll realize his error
soon and return for me. But in the
meantime it’s absolutely vital that—”

“Hold on,” I stopped him, in an
attempt to try to wrap my head
around all of this new information.
“You, the heated nozzle, the sheep, I
mean, wow, I’ve never seen anything
like it! Are you a magical, one-of-a-
kind creation?”

“Oh, goodness me, no. Hardly!”
he scoffed, looking as modest as
a robot could. “There are actually
others like me, and not exactly like
me, but with similar intents and
processes, being made every day.
We’re getting shipped all over the
world...and, of course, Brooklyn.”

“And you’re all making...tiny sheep?”

“Tiny sheep? All of us? Of course
not. No, no, no.” he chuckled. “Sally
Harris is a sculptor who makes
magic gardens. And every magic
garden needs a sheep. So I decided
to have you draw one that I could
put in my memory. And what a
lovely sheep it is, indeed! A sheep,
you see, can always find his way
home. I’m simply thinking ahead
because the storm is coming and in
case the driver doesn’t return.”

“Oh, I see.” And I thought to myself,
“I like the way this robot thinks.”

“But to answer your question, artist
sculptures are just one thing people
are doing with robots like me.”

“Really?”

“Unequivocally! We are all quite
flexible in nature and industry, and
when a good human comes by and
gives us a drawing of an object, we
get our gears ready, heat up our
nozzles, and position our trays to
prepare to make it into a real thing.”

“I had no idea!” I said. And I really
didn’t. “A drawing into a real thing?
I’ve never heard of anything like this.”

“I’m the kind of robot with a plastic
filament on my back and a heated
nozzle for a tail. But I have friends
in other neighborhoods, doing all
sorts of 3D printing work in different
sizes and with different materials.” I
can show you a few examples.” And
with that, he flipped his tray over and
showed me a map of Brooklyn, with
one block in particular, on the side,
highlighted.

MARK-5 [märk fīv]
Process: FDM*
Description:
Classic 3D printer
Features:
High-resolution output

* FDM, or Fused Deposition Modeling uses thin streams of
melted plastic filament to gradually build up a physical form.

BRENDAN
Age: 60
Location: East Brooklyn
Likes: Spaghetti nights
with his family
Talent: Knows twelve
computer programming
languages

In the northeast of Brooklyn,
my friend Mark-5 works with
Brendan. Brendan is an inventor,
and has been his whole life! Mark-5
is one of my oldest and best friends.
He helps Brendan create the first
versions of his inventions that will
eventually be produced in factories.
These models are sometimes called
‘prototypes’ and are used to help
test how the product might work
before making the final design.”

“Prototypes?”
“Prototypes.”
“Sounds efficient.”

FUN FACTS

Brendan’s latest
inventions involve
seeing what happens
when physical objects
are connected to the
Internet.

He uses computer
programming to make
things happen in the
physical world based
on new information.
He programmed the
News Dog to “sniff out”
stories that contain the
word “robot.”

“Immensely so. Last week, they
were working together on a model
for a robot dog that will print a
special version of current events.
They call it ‘News Dog’. News Dog
can be programmed to give news
on a specific topic. For example,
robots. We’ve been in the headlines
quite a bit lately.”

“Seriously?”

“Absolutely! We robots can collect
information about new trends
as well as make things that are
practical and useful. We also make
items that are beautiful and that
adorn desktops as well as people.”

H1-H0 [hī hō]
Process: SLS*
Description: Batch
process machine
Features: Conveyor
belt and automated
packaging system

*SLS, or Selective Laser Sintering, uses small particles
that get fused together when melted by a laser

In the middle of Brooklyn, near
the big park, is H1-H0, a robot I’ve
known for years. He works with
Stephanie, a jewelry maker. She
makes her designs on a computer
and then H1-H0 prints them out
in gold, silver and bronze. Before
H1-H0, Stephanie depended on
a outside factory to make her
earrings and necklaces. Now she
can make them herself and ship
directly to her customers. She In the middle of Brooklyn, near
the big park, is H1-H0, a robot I’ve
known for years. He works with
Stephanie, a jewelry maker. She
makes her designs on a computer
and then H1-H0 prints them out
in gold, silver and bronze. Before
H1-H0, Stephanie depended on
a outside factory to make her
earrings and necklaces. Now she
can make them herself and ship
directly to her customers.

keeps H1-H0 busy morning, noon
and night making hundreds of
copies of her jewelry pieces. She keeps H1-H0 busy morning, noon
and night making hundreds of
copies of her jewelry pieces.

“Question!” I stopped LEO for
clarification. “3D printers can work
with different kinds of metal?”

“Yes,” LEO assured me. “We are
quite versatile in our work methods
and materials.”

STEPHANIE
Age: 35
Location: Park Slope
Likes: Bringing a
sketchbook wherever
she goes
Talent: Expert in
biology and math

“And since Stephanie is infinitely
inventive, she loves working with H1-H0
to experiment. And he is always happy
to comply. She especially likes to use
mathematics to create different shapes.
Then H1-H0 builds them using the
formulas Stephanie inputs.”

“Formulas?! As in mathematical
formulas? Stephanie really uses math?”

“Of course.” Math is something we
robots handle extremely well.”

“I’m good at math!”

“I’m sure you’re good at many things.”
Despite the predicament I was in, LEO
was making my day.

“And are there more kinds of robots?”
“Of course!”

FUN FACTS

Stephanie’s jewelry
designs are based
on the Fibonacci
sequence, a pattern of
numbers that can be
used to understand
beautiful patterns
that appear in nature,
such as the seeds in
a sunflower and the
spirals of seashells.

Anyone can figure it
out by starting with
0 and 1 and then
building the list by
adding each number
to the one before it to
get the new number.
The sequence goes
like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5,
8, 13, 21, 34, 55…

ALEXA
Age: 12
Location: New Utrecht
Likes: Jazz music
Talent: Tap dancing

SINCLAIR-10
[sĭn klâr tĕn]
Process: FDM
Description:
Internet-connected
printing appliance
Features:
Built-in screen,
Wi-Fi antenna

In the next neighborhood, to the
south of the park, is Sinclair-10. He
lives with a little girl named Alexa
and her family. Sinclair-10 sits on
the kitchen counter and displays
a catalog of product designs to
download from the Internet. Not
only is he fun to play with, but
what makes him really special is
that he can help Alexa, the oldest
of the three children, find clever
and educational products when her
family needs something new.

With Sinclair-10’s help, Alexa looks
through all the different kinds of
products that people have created
and uploaded as digital files. Then
she can pick what she likes and have
Sinclair-10 make them right away.

This morning, her mother told her
she could get some toys to keep
them occupied during the storm.
Alexa decided to download musical
instruments to create a band with
her brothers. There’s a shaker, a
rubber band guitar and a special
kind of flute called an ocarina. As This morning, her mother told her
she could get some toys to keep
them occupied during the storm.
Alexa decided to download musical
instruments to create a band with
her brothers. There’s a shaker, a
rubber band guitar and a special
kind of flute called an ocarina.

soon as Sinclair-10 has finished
building, all Alexa has to do is
install the rubber bands and
start composing. As soon as Sinclair-10 has finished
building, all Alexa has to do is
install the rubber bands and
start composing.

“I took violin once, but was actually
more fond of percussion.” I seemed “I took violin once, but was actually
more fond of percussion.”

to be telling LEO all kinds of things
about myself. I seemed to be telling LEO all kinds of things
about myself.

“All a little raucous for my tastes.
But Sinclair-10 is quite suited to a
higher volume on so many levels.”

FUN FACTS

Alexa’s new toy uses
rubber bands to make
musical sounds. To
tune them, she slips
them through a moving
part called a “cam
cleat,” a mechanism
that’s popular in
sailing for holding and
releasing ropes. They
have little teeth that
can grip, and the whole
part rotates to grasp
the rubber band tightly
in one direction, or
let it slip freely in
the other.

ALIC3-D [alĭs thrē dē]
Process: SLS
Description:
Humanoid with embedded
printing modules
Features:
Articulated hands,
programmed to handle
complaints with grace

GEORGE
Age: 25
Location:
Downtown Brooklyn
Likes: fine wine and
three-hour meals
Talent: Cultivating
indoor gardens

I was beginning to feel wistful,
wanting a 3D printer of my own,
when LEO told me about George
and AL1C3-D.

“AL1C3-D is so very lovely and
works in an establishment in the
busy downtown area. George just
moved in to her neighborhood. He
comes all the way from France!”

“France?!”
“France!”
“Brooklyn is so, so international.”

“It certainly is. More and more
every day. And even though George
doesn’t have his own robot, he loves
to create his own products. So,
just like printing paper at the copy
store, at AL1C3-D’s store, he can
get physical objects printed from
the designs he makes himself.”

“Non?!”
“Mais, oui!”

FUN FACTS

George’s combination
handle/planter is
made from ceramic
powder that is held
together with binder,
a kind of glue. The wet
ceramic is then put in
an oven to cure, and
finished with a glossy
subtance called glaze.

“Just a few days ago, he wanted to
add some personal touches to the
kitchen in his apartment. He decided
that the cabinet handles might be
a good place to start. Instead of the
plain knobs, he designed handles
that also function as planters for
edible plants called microgreens.”

“Oh, I’ve had those before. They
make a salad very fresh and
flavorful.”

“Well coming from France,
George knows his food. And once
he designed the planters on his
computer, he uploaded them to the
store, and the next time he’s out
for a walk, he can pick them up.
AL1C3-D is very happy that George
is in the neighborhood. She loves
designers.”

“Wow!” I had no idea there was
so much going on in the world of
robots. LEO was right. They were all
over Brooklyn. And the world!

IRIS-7 [īrĭs sĕvĕn]
Process: SLA with up to
4 combined materials
Description: Combination
scanner-printer
Features: Wheeled mobility,
3D gesture recognition

“We’re really just getting started.
The world is a very big place. As
is Brooklyn. Take a look here.
To the south, by the beach, is
Nathan and IRIS-7. IRIS-7 is
a robot that lets people make
physical things that precisely
suit their taste, style and size.
She has built-in scanners that
can measure a person’s body and
adjust a product so that when she
makes it, the fit will be perfect.
Gloves, headphones, and hearing
aids; you name it and IRIS-7 can
customize it. Nathan is one of
her favorite collaborators.”

“He is an adventurous young
fellow who likes to take long
walks and examine every grain of
sand, shell and rock formation.”

NATHAN
Age: 8
Location: Coney Island
Likes: Scary roller coasters
Talent: Can identify over
100 different sea creatures

“An explorer in the making, no doubt.”

“Oh, yes. A very bright future indeed.
He worked with IRIS-7 to make a
special pair of sandals that perfectly
fit the contours of his feet. Because
they are made just for him, they are
the most comfortable footwear he’s
ever worn.”

“We all need a pair of those.”

“No doubt! Although robots such
as myself already come with built-
in shoes. Plus, Nathan likes to leave
his mark on the sand, so he can see
where’s he’s been and his friends can “No doubt! Although robots such
as myself already come with built-
in shoes. Plus, Nathan likes to leave
his mark on the sand, so he can see
where’s he’s been and his friends can
find him when he’s off exploring.

find him when he’s off exploring. He
worked with IRIS-7 to create a sole
for his sandals that leaves octopus
prints behind wherever he walks.” He worked with IRIS-7 to create a sole
for his sandals that leaves octopus
prints behind wherever he walks.”

“Nifty!”

“Nifty is right! His two best friends
were so impressed that they asked
IRIS-7 to make sandals for them. One
pair to leave starfish prints, and the
other to look like penguin feet.”

I could tell LEO was very proud of
how creative and useful his robot
friends can be.

FUN FACTS

In order to build
Nathan’s sandals to
fit him perfectly, IRIS-
7 used a series of 3D
scanners. They work
by projecting invisible
light onto his body
that can be bounced
back to tell her the
precise contours of
his feet. From these
measurements, she
builds a virtual model
of his feet to use as
the ‘negative space’,
or the part of the form
that will be cut out.
Some people have
found ways to use the
Kinect camera as a
scanner right in their
own homes.

CLAUDE-8 [kläd āt]
Process: FDM with
pressurized food nozzles
Description:
FDA-approved food
service device
Features: Refrigerated
storage compartment, 10
distinct flavor profiles

EMILIE
Age: 35
Location: Williamsburg
Likes: Loves junk food
(as a guilty pleasure)
Talent: Makes the
most perfect soufflés

“All of this information is making
me hungry. I could use a cupcake
right about now.”

“Well, if you’re feeling hungry,
you should meet my friend
Claude-8, who lives near the
bridge. He is a food making robot
who can make things that are
edible by squeezing food paste
out of his nozzle.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No, we’re not programmed to
kid or jest, but we can tell jokes.
Have you heard the one about the
computer and the elephant?”

“That’s okay. Maybe later. Tell me
more about Claude-8.”

Well, he likes to work with chefs
like Emilie, who design fanciful
foods that look and feel as exciting
as they taste. Claude-8 lets her
design incredible structures
that can be printed in candy and
chocolate. Even cheese.

“Candy, chocolate and cheese? I
may just faint!”

“Her latest creation is a special
appetizer to get people to slow
down and think while they nibble.
She first lays out a chess board
made of crackers, and then has
Claude-8 build her a full chess set
made of cheese. When a player
captures a piece, their victory is
exceptionally satisfying because
they get to eat it!”

“They eat the cheese chess pieces?”
“They do. And oh, I wish I knew
what that was like, but robots can’t

have cheese. It makes our gears
seize up.”

“No cheese? That is sad, LEO.
Cheese is a true culinary treat.”

“Sad, indeed. But tell me, Carla—a
bit off topic, but I would really like
to know—why is it that humans
say the moon is made of cheese?
It’s not, you know. I have a robot
friend named NiXie who lives on
the moon, and has given me her
firsthand report.”

FUN FACTS

Almost anything that
can be made into a
paste, such as pasta,
cheese and even
peanut butter, can be
used to build a printed
3D model. By using
pressure to extrude
it, or press it through
a nozzle (much like
decorating a cake), a
robot can get a steady
stream of food and
build up a shape from
a 3D file.

CHARLES
Age: 6
Location: The moon
(previously Bedstuy)
Likes: Experimenting
with gravity
Talent: Hamster training

NiXie [nikzē]
Process: Lunar dust SLS
Description:
Solar powered lunar dust
sintering machine
Features:
GPS navigation,
all-terrain chassis

“You have a friend on the moon?
That’s so beyond Brooklyn, it’s
actually out of this world, you know.”

“Yes, but not out of our solar system.
We robots lead very exciting lives,
especially NiXie, who is built for
travel and adventure. NiXie lives
with Charles and his mother, who is
an astronautical architect. The whole
family moved from directly in the
center of Brooklyn to join her on
the moon.”

“That’s almost too far to comprehend.”

“238,900 miles to be exact. NiXie
is very important to Charles’ mom
because she is a Lunar Dust Robot
who can use what she finds on the
surface of the moon to make new
buildings. Since there is no electricity
on the moon, she has solar panels to
capture the sun’s rays and convert
it to the energy she needs to build.
When NiXie is on a break from
making moon buildings, she lets
Charles play with her. He likes to
make new kinds of houses for his
hamster, Weenie.”

FUN FACTS

Space architects are
exploring ways to
use solar power and
microwaves to sinter,
or fuse together,
grains of dust found
on the moon. The
dust contains iron
particles, and when
they are heated
to a high enough
temperature, they can
bond together in the
places where the robot
wants to build up
structure. The process
can be used to make
architecture as well as
fix tools.

“His latest design features a series
of transparent capsules that can be
stacked on top of one another, or
connected end to end. One capsule
has Weenie’s sleeping chamber, and
the other features a seesaw ladder
so she can get her daily exercise.
Charles is a very thorough and
thoughtful hamster owner.”

“And Weenie is one lucky hamster
to have such a smart-looking and
functional new home.”

I could have kept listening forever
to LEO tell me stories of all the other
robots he knew and how they were
working with people to make things to
use in their everyday lives, but then it
dawned on me...

“WAIT!” I said, holding up my hand.
“If you can make me anything I can
draw, then you can create the part I
need to fix my bicycle chain!”

“Technically, I’m calibrated for art,
but from what I understand, art and
science and math and engineering are
starting to become indistinguishable
anyway. So, yes, I believe I can print
you any part you need.”

“YES!” I jumped up and down, and
then hunkered close to the bike to
figure out the shape of the chain link.

I grabbed my ball point once again
and pulled out a fresh piece of paper. I
held my hand as steady as I could and
drew the link and the chain tool. Then
I gave it to LEO and he scanned it like
he had done with the sheep.

The tray went back up above his head,
and he got busy. A few moments later,
he presented the tray to me with the
finished part.

I turned the bike upside down,
repaired my chain and then tested the
gear mechanism by turning the pedal.

Eureka! It worked! I had a working
bicycle! I was saved and now I could
get home.

But what about poor LEO, the 3D
Prints, my new but misplaced royal
robot friend? What would become of
him, stranded out here in Brooklyn as
the fierce storm was fast approaching?

And then I knew exactly what to do!
It was a moment beyond Voila! and
Eureka! I drew a cart with wheels to
attach to my bike, and had LEO make
it for me.

LEO looked a little confused.

“LEO, the weather’s too rough to
depend on a magic sheep. Hop in and
I’ll get you home.”

“Oh, Carla, I am deeply touched. You
are a very considerate human being.
And a great creator.”

As we bravely headed into the
storm, I thought of my sculptures
packed away deep in storage.
Perhaps it was time to take the box
off the shelf. Because a dream that’s
stored, can never be fully explored.

My friendship with LEO the Maker
Prints continues to flourish well
after recovery from the storm.

I draw, he prints,
and together we make.

Visit LeoTheMakerPrince.com to learn more,
or go to Thingiverse.com/LeoTheMakerPrince
to download the objects in this book.

Special thanks to everyone who helped make this project happen:

My core team of dedicated and creative forces:
Alexa, Cindy, Claudia, and Nicholas

Mike Glaser, for his loving support

Brian Jepson and Dale Dougherty at Maker Media, SVA Visible Futures
Lab, SVA Products of Design Program, Drexel University Product Design
Program, Smart Design, Cornell University Creative Machines Lab, Alan
Chochinov, Leif Mangelsen, Marko Manriquez, John T. Heida, Jeffrey
Lipton, John Dimatos, Gisella Diana...

and Roo, the coolest dog in the world