Stratasys Partners with FirstBuild for Crowdsourced Home Appliances

Companies are starting to warm up to the crowdsourcing idea. Local Motors has displayed some of the potential of what can be achieved through crowdsourcing with its 3D printed car. Another crowdsourcing project will focus on something a little closer to home: home appliances.

Stratasys has joined in a partnership with FirstBuild to build, test, and prototype crowdsourced home appliances and appliance features. FirstBuild itself is the result of a partnership between the aforementioned Local Motors and GE, one of the world’s largest appliance manufacturers. 

“We believe that the prospects of tapping into the hardware innovation scene are very promising,” said Gilad Gans, president of Stratasys North America. “This is an outstanding opportunity to help revolutionize the way things are made. This is an open-innovation environment where FirstBuild users will be able to use our cutting-edge technology to accelerate product development phases and create real products.”

Micro-kitchen design was one of FirstBuild’s first design contests. Courtesy of FirstBuild.

Stratasys’ 3D printers will be sent to Louisville, KY, where they will join other manufacturing equipment at FirstBuild’s microfactory. It’s at that location that new ideas will be tested and initial production runs built. The appliances will then be offered for sale either online, at a store adjacent to the factory, or through other, more traditional, retail channels.

If you’ve ever wondered exactly what a contributor gets from helping crowdsource a new product, FirstBuild is good for the details. Both the concept leader, defined as the person who first pitched the product and push it through development, and key contributors, which are defined as those who have, “Contributed at least one key and novel aspect of a project which is visible in the product specification” are eligible for compensation. Those involved in a successful project will receive a lump sum of money for their work, and royalties on sales for the next four years.

One of FirstBuild’s first projects was a contest to design a fully functional kitchen with a small footprint. Five different designs coming from contributors hailing from four different countries were selected as finalists. Elements from each of the designs will be used in the production and sale of micro-kitchens.

Projects like FirstBuild may well decide whether the future is driven by crowdsourcing, by more traditional forms of design, or by some combination of the two. No matter which method ends up as the winner, 3D printing will continue to be an important part of the prototyping and manufacturing process.

Below you’ll find a short video about FirstBuild.

Source: Stratasys