Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have formulated a new technique for furbricating…er…fabricating 3D printed hair. This method capitalizes on the stringing nature in fused deposition modeling 3D printers.

Using their technique, the printer squeezes out a little bit of molten plastic and then pulls away, stretching out the material in a long strand. This is not unlike the sticky strings that hot glue guns leave behind.

The technique offers several ranges of design specifications for controlling the properties of both single strands and hair bundles. They also offer detailed post-processing techniques for refining the behavior and appearance of printed strands.

Most importantly, the technique allows for the use of low-cost printers – without requiring the purchase of new hardware.

The team will present their research on November 11th at the UIST 2015 symposium in Charlotte.

 

Photo credit: Gierad Laput