Science hasn’t quite nailed the formula for dragons yet, unless you count CG, in which case it’s not doing so bad. But real, fire-breathing, man-eating, treasure-hoarding scaled beasts of fantasy? Right now, the best we can do is ask CSIRO to 3D-print them out of titanium for children on demand. Wait, what?
Recently, a seven-year old girl by the name of Sophie wrote to CSIRO and kindly asked the knowledgeable folk at the organisation to make a dragon for her. While an actual dragon was out of the question, CSIRO didn’t want to completely shatter the poor kid’s dreams and so tasked Lab 22, its additive manufacturing facility in Melbourne, to put something together for her.
The result? A blue, titanium dragon named “Toothless”, crafted from electron beams.
As one might expect, the internet exploded. According to CSIRO’s Vanessa Hill, even DreamWorks dropped them a line, asking for Sophie’s contact details so they could treat her to something special.
It’s a cool story, to be sure, but I feel sorry for Sophie’s parents. I can’t imagine any present they could possibly get her that would top this… other than a living dragon, obviously.
Image: CSIRO