3D printing isn’t new. Today it’s used for everything from manufacturing medical equipment to reconstructing forensic evidence. The ability to create 3D models easily and efficiently has a myriad of applications, and with the cost of production declining, many printer manufacturers are looking to expand their horizons. Enter Origo–a 3D printer made just for kids.

Joris Peels, one half of the Origo team, recently talked to boingboing about his goals for the printer: “The Origo aims to be an affordable, easy to use 3D printer for ten year olds. It will be more robust than current 3D printers and work straight out of the box. By reapplying existing technology in novel ways the Origo will let kids make whatever they want, whenever they want at home.”

Although Origo isn’t yet ready for the market, more information can be found on the product’s website, including this statement defining the printer’s appeal to children:

“There are other 3D printers. But none will be as easy to use as I will. None will be as reliable or work as hard for you. I’m not a kit or an industrial machine. I’m not complicated. I’m an appliance, like a toaster or a microwave. Only I’m purple and make your stuff. You don’t have to be ten to use me, but it helps. Sure adults are older and can do lots of different things such as drive a car and use a drill. But, adults aren’t really good at imagining things. They’re afraid. Afraid of failing, afraid of not making the perfect thing. They see the world as it is, not as it could be. They see what can’t be done, not what could become. Kids are not afraid. They’ll draw anything and everything. They’ll make whatever it is they feel like. They’ll imagine, dream and create. And that’s what I’ll help you do. You could share me with your brothers, sisters and parents and make together. You could teach them how to make the world as they want it to be. Most of all though, I’m a tool for you.”

It’s easy to imagine the many applications of a printer like Origo. In addition to being an at-home “toy,” the product’s ability to conceptualize and create models could serve many purposes in the educational sphere as well. What do you think? Would you like to see children using Origo at home and in school?

Watch the video below to get an idea of the Origo in action!