3D printing technology is everywhere you look these days, and can even give empty plastic bottles a new lease on life. Researchers at Germany's Hasso-Plattner Institute (HPI) are working on an eco-friendly project to put the bottles to use as building blocks for large objects like a rowboat, chairs, and a domed structure. The research team developed cutting-edge 3D software, called TrussFab, so anyone can build strong structures out of plastic bottles. HPI's TrussFab is an integrated end-to-end system, and users are able to design sturdy, large-scale structures, and then determine the proper distribution of plastic bottles to fabricate a strong end product that can hold human weight, like a bridge or chair. Then, TrussFab brings 3D printing into the mix, to manufacture the pieces which connect the bottles in a strong, honeycomb-like formation. Read more at 3DPrint.com: http://3dprint.com/172678/hpi-trussfab-3d-software/