Intel thinks that Jimmy is the future of robots.  I’m not so sure but I think their hearts are in the right place.  In the greater scheme of sharing of printable, consumer goods which can be printed they’re on the right track.  But JImmy has some very real design issues, like what I can only imagine is an inability to climb stairs.

Still, this trend of 3D printing extremely complex designs, which would be more expensive to manufacture piece by piece and assemble using traditional methods, is becoming ever more popular.  And while 3D printers are still expensive, companies that you can send designs to that will print based on volume are becoming extremely reasonable.

As a result websites are springing up to serve the sharing of designs, places like Thingiverse.  These sharing services of open-source designs are potentially a fantastic new channel of distribution for already established companies.  I believe Intel is extremely smart to get behind open-source design sharing by creating an easily customizable platform.  Monetization of “premium” designs seems like the next logical step, not unlike the freemium model many apps have followed.  This also has massive ,market research potential as well.  With a low up-front cost to test designs, customers can update their designs and companies can look to better incorporate the most successful designs into their future platforms.  This engagement with lead users can reduce the time between upgrade release times and give companies vital information in how consumers prefer to use their products.  This could well mean robots like Jimmy may not be that far away from entering our homes after all…