Quelle: Maarten Willemstein

Daan van den Berg

“From an unknown location, I break into IKEA’s computer server. In this nerve centre, the CAD files for every IKEA product are stored and downloaded worldwide. By infecting the CAD files with the ‘Elephantiasis virus’ I have just designed, I can hack the entire range of products. The virus causes random deformities, like lumps, cracks and humps, which only show up when the customer prints his product at home with his 3D printer.”

The “MERRICK” originated during a fantasy about the development described above. The “MERRICK” is a digital file infected with the human Elephantiasis virus and then converted into a tangible product by using a 3D printer. Every lamp that is printed will therefore be different.

Three-dimensional printing at home might sound like science fiction. But it is far from unthinkable. Consumer 3D printing is still in its infancy, but is expected to touch off a new revolution.