As the Mobile World Congress – the biggest show in the world devoted to mobile technologies – is approaching, it makes sense that all eyes are focused on smartphones, a mature technological sector that many 3D printing companies have always looked to with interest. The latest to do so is Ultimaker, by launching a contest asking users to create and post accessories for the OnePlus One Android smartphone on Youmagine. In less than a week, several interesting downloadable items already popped up on the network.
OnePlus is a technology startup that makes the stylish OnePlus One smartphone, basing its activities on an approach that is both personalized (resented by the “One”) and shared (represented by the “Plus”), which makes it a great conceptual match for 3D printing in general. When speaking with the team at Ultimaker, the idea came up of using 3D printing in order to let inventors and creatives bring new ideas to the table.
To participate in the contest and compete for the chance to win one and Ultimaker 2 (first prize) or the OnePlus One smartphone (second prize), all you have to do is design an accessory and post it on the Youmagine contest page by March 19th, tagging it with “oneplus” and “ultimaker”. After that date, twenty finalists will be selected through public voting, with judges from Ultimaker and OnePlus selecting the top three on March 26th.
Among the designs already submitted – which have to be in .STL or .STEP format and, of course, must be 3D printable – there are already sound amplifiers, docking stations, cases, covers, wheels, and, even, a bottle opener. This is likely to be just the beginning of a long list of entries, but OnePlus One users who have access to a 3D printer can already choose among over twenty free accessories for their smartphone.
A few months ago 3D Hubs formed another interesting “accessory-based” partnership with smartphone manufacturer Fairphone. Google’s interest for 3D printing in Project Ara has also been widely publicized and OwnFone already implements 3D printing to customize their mobile phones. We are just at the beginning of what could be a series of long term synergetic collaborations, but the results are already evident on Youmagine, and you can 3D print them at home.
