African inventor develops a $100 3D printer from e-waste


Like we’ve said a few billion times before, it’s always good to reuse trash and keep it all away from landfills. Kodjo Afate Gnikou, a resourceful inventor from Togo in West Africa, seems to agree. Gnikou managed to come up with an inexpensive 3D printer, made from broken scanners, computers, printers and other e-waste. The 3D printer was constructed for less than $100 and is a fully-functional piece of technology that matches up those mass-produced today. Besides being a ground-breaking development, this DIY printer costs a fraction of those currently on the market and saves the environment from being polluted with e-waste too!
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Part of WoeLab, a hackerspace in the city of Lomé, Gnikou is also working with FacLab-France in the WAFATE to Mars project, aiming to use recycled e-waste to make machines for missions on Mars. The 3D printer he created from scrap is one of the first few steps towards a more sustainable future for the world of technology and could very well play an integral role in Mars missions. Gnikou’s fundraiser page says, “Put technology into needy hands and give Africa the opportunity to not only be a spectator but to play the first role in a more virtuous industrial revolution.”

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[Via – Inhabitat]