- The police now traced ghost pistols by identifying the microscopic tools left by the 3D printer equipment
- Thingiverse uses automation to block downloading dangerous weapons files
- The legislators want the manufacturers of 3D printers to build in AI tools that block the impression of a firearm
The rapid propagation of the models of firearms printed in 3D online draws exams against the police and the legislators, while regulators begin to cope with the unforeseen consequences of the accessible digital manufacture.
The popular Thingiverse platform, known as the largest 3D model printer file benchmark in the world, has become a central objective in efforts to slow down the spread of ghost pistols.
Following an investigation by the New York Police Department, hundreds of downloadable files linked to weapons were found on Thingiverse – files which, once downloaded, can be used by almost anyone with a 3D printer to manufacture work -in -law.
Repression of repression on file sharing platforms
In response, Thingiverse added automated tools designed to detect and block downloads of firearms before starting on the site.
This is an urgent problem within 3D printing communities, and as platforms develop, the management of harmful or illegal content becomes much more difficult.
Access to dangerous plans is difficult to control, especially when file sites work with little surveillance, and with changes in the platform, managers now turn to equipment manufacturers.
The Manhattan district prosecutor Alvin Bragg asked companies like Bambu Lab to build AI systems that can scan CAD files before printing.
The objective is to train models to identify firearms plans and stop them at the printer itself.
The organizations responsible for the application of laws work to build roadblocks which make it more difficult to create uncontrollable firearms.
Beyond prevention, investigators also explore means to retrace the printed weapons at their source.
The researchers study the tool marks left on printed objects – the small patterns made by the unique parameters of a printer, the shape of the nozzle and the path of the filament.
These brands may not correspond to an exact printer, but they can help refine where a weapon comes from.
Factors such as the size of the extruder, the print temperature and the surface of the bed affect all these brands, which makes monitoring more complex.
Despite this, this type of medico-legal work shows that printed weapons are not as anonymous as many believed it.
Whether made on a high -end 3D engraver or a cheap office unit, printed objects can wear indices that connect them to certain machines.
With ghost pistols now easier to do than ever, the race between access and control is clearly in progress, and the result is still unknown.
Via Tomshardware
