3D printing isn't quite everywhere yet -- but within the next decade or so, it really seems like it could become much more widespread. And that expansion of the technology can (and almost certainly will) lead to intellectual property (IP) regulations that will impact the sending of 3D scan files. Researchers from Germany-based Hasso Plattner Institute have come up with a process that may solve some IP issues. Their Scotty device utilizes destructive scanning, encryption, and 3D printing to destroy the original object so that only the received, new object exists in that form, pretty much "teleporting" the object from point A to point B. Scotty is based on an off-the-shelf 3D printer modified with a 3-axis milling machine, camera, and microcontroller for encryption, using Raspberry Pi and Arduino technologies. For details on how this destructive scanning and encrypted sending process works, check out the full article: http://3dprint.com/38799/scotty-3d-prnt-teleport/


Below is a quick look at how Scotty works: