I don’t know what it is about being able to print out and wear different molecules that makes this seem so cool to me. Maybe it’s because I studied psychology in undergrad and, so, associate all human emotions and actions with the neurotransmitters that cause them. Or maybe it’s because you can trace all of matter back to its chemical constituents as produced by the Big Bang. Either way, 3D-printed object customizer, MixeeLabs, has just come out with my favorite Customizer so far. Designed by the company’s co-founder, Aaron Barnett, the Molecules Customizer lets users tweak and print out their favorite molecules to wear as earrings or pendants.
The Molecules Customizer has a variety of pre-set molecules that you can have printed in vibrant nylon colours or in plated steel, brass, and silver. Using the parametrics in the customizer, users are able to alter the size of the chemical bonds, make the little rods thinner or thicker, and the size of the atoms. You can also change the size and placement of the hoop that attaches your chemical compound to your necklace chain or earring studs. As Nancy from MixeeLabs informed us, “These designs will start at $10 for nylon plastic, $60 for stainless steel, and $160 for sterling silver and gold-plated brass. Each design will take about 2-3 weeks to 3D print and ship.”
With the preset formulae alone, you can choose from, among other things, Dopamine (the neurotransmitter that makes you addicted to Candy Crush and makes you happy when you beat a level), Estrogen and Testosterone (as depicted above), Theobromine (the chemical found in chocolate), or Xanax (my favorite palindrome). But what’s really cool, and what makes MixeeLabs truly personalizable, is that you can go to Chemical Book, an online database of chemical formulae, and get the structure of your favourite molecule not listed on the MixeeLabs Customizer. I checked it out and found the chemical makeup of Desvenlafaxine, otherwise known as Pristiq.
Now, let’s hear it for chemicals!
Source: MixeeLabs
