MakerBot Poll Results Revealed!

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Thank you for participating in my totally informal unofficial unsanctioned and highly illegal MakerBot poll. 1  Here’s how the answers broke down:

  1. Why are you interested in MakerBot?
    • 21% “MakerBot is the next big thing / Living in the future / Interest in technology / Making things on demand / Self-replicating robots are cool / Cheap prototyping”
    • 19% “Prototyping / Designing / Inventing / Making ideas a reality / Projects / Creativity on my desktop / Making custom things / Improving existing things.”
    • 19% “MakerBots are awesome / MakerBots look awesome / It’s a fun cool project / Everything about MakerBots is awesome”
    • 6% “Making things and stuff”
    • 6% “I love DIY and open source stuff”
    • 6% “I already have one or have purchased a MakerBot”
    • 6% “I want to bootstrap a RepRap / Design another printer / Print a second 3D printer / I’m interested in RepRap”
    • 2% “Empowering people / Helping people”
    • 2% “World domination”
    • 2% “Easier to make than a RepRap”
    • 2% “I make MakerBots”
    • 2% “Making the 3x2x1 Rubik’s cube“
    • 2% “Learning how things work”
    • 2% “Making tools and other things to make life easier”
    • 2% “Making art and decorations”
  2. Have you heard or read about RepRap or RepRap.org?
    • YES!  (92.5%) versus No (7.5%)
  3. Have you tried to design anything in 3D?
    • YES!  (90.0%) versus No (10.0%)
  4. Have you tried to upload anything to Thingiverse?
    • YES!  (47.5%) versus No (52.5%)
  5. If you had a MakerBot, what would you want to download from Thingiverse and print?
    • 31% “Toys / Games / Fun / Puzzles”
    • 10% “Things to bootstrap a RepRap / Design another printer / Print a second 3D printer / I’m interested in RepRap”
    • 10% “Making art and decorations”
    • 10% “Tools and other things to make life easier”
    • 8% “I already have one or have purchased a MakerBot”
    • 6% “Upgrades for the MakerBot”
    • 6% “Making things and stuff”
    • 6% “Making replacement parts / Avoid replacement part costs / Spare parts / Fix things / Repairs”
    • 4% “Prototyping / Designing / Inventing / Making ideas a reality / Projects / Creativity on my desktop / Making custom things / Improving existing things.”
    • 2% “Things to amaze others and get people interested in DIY, RepRap, and 3D printing”
    • 2% “Things I would otherwise purchase”
    • 2% “Models of things”
  6. If you had a MakerBot, what would you want to design and print?
    • 18% “Tools and other things to make life easier”
    • 17% “Prototyping / Designing / Inventing / Making ideas a reality / Projects / Creativity on my desktop / Making custom things / Improving existing things.”
    • 17% “Toys / Games / Fun / Puzzles”
    • 17% “Making replacement parts / Avoid replacement part costs / Spare parts / Fix things / Repairs / Home repairs”
    • 5% “Things for my own business or as a business”
    • 5% “Things to bootstrap a RepRap / Design another printer / Print a second 3D printer / I’m interested in RepRap”
    • 5% “Making art and decorations”
    • 3% “Things I would otherwise purchase”
    • 3% “Stuff for homebrew DIY games”
    • 3% “Upgrades for the MakerBot”
    • 2% “New face”2
    • 2% “Pets bio-morphs”3
    • 2% “Things to amaze others and get people interested in DIY, RepRap, and 3D printing”
    • 2% “For home brewing.” 4
  7. If you had a MakerBot, what would you use it for? (Help starving children, make toys, make tools, etc)
    • 26% “Toys / Games / Fun / Puzzles”
    • 13% “Tools and other things to make life easier”
    • 10% “Making replacement parts / Avoid replacement part costs / Spare parts / Fix things / Repairs / Home repairs”
    • 9% “Prototyping / Designing / Inventing / Making ideas a reality / Projects / Creativity on my desktop / Making custom things / Improving existing things.”
    • 6% “Making things and stuff”
    • 6% “Things for my own business or as a business”
    • 4% “Things to amaze others and get people interested in DIY, RepRap, and 3D printing”
    • 4% “Things to bootstrap a RepRap / Design another printer / Print a second 3D printer / I’m interested in RepRap”
    • 3% “Empowering people / Helping people”
    • 3% “Models of things”
    • 3% “Making art and decorations”
    • 1% “I love DIY and open source stuff”
    • 1% “Science Olympiad”
    • 1% “Things I would otherwise purchase”
    • 1% “To learn more about how things work”
    • 1% “MakerBot and printer upgrades”
    • 1% “A space ship”5
    • 1% “Home brewing of brews, at home”
  8. Why haven’t you purchased a MakerBot yet?
    • 28% “I have one or have purchased this awesome robot!”
    • 26% “I don’t have $1,000.00 to spend on awesome robots.”
    • 8% “I’m waiting for MakerBot improvements or am worried about missing out on a newer better version after I purchase this awesome robot”
    • 8% “I’m planning to purchase or will purchase as soon as I save up for this awesome robot”
    • 4% “My friend has an awesome robot, so I just use theirs”
    • 4% “I don’t have the room for an awesome robot”
    • 4% “I don’t think I have what it takes to build an awesome robot”
    • 2% “It’s not worth $1,000.00 to make my own stuff with an awesome robot”
    • 2% “It’s not worth $1,000.00 to own an awesome robot”
    • 2% “I’m interested in MakerBots, but not interested enough to buy an awesome robot”
    • 2% “My parents were killed by awesome robots”
    • 2% “Robots ate my money”
    • 2% “Gray goo and Skynet”
    • 2% “It’s better and cheaper to build a RepRap from scratch”
    • 2% “I’m surrounded by awesome robots all day”

  1. Your IP address has been provided to the NSA.  They’ve got a couple of questions for you. [↩]
  2. Your guess is as good as mine [↩]
  3. I don’t know what this is.  Am I too old to get this? [↩]
  4. Based upon this person’s other answers, I think they really did mean brewing at home of a home brew project.  For brews. [↩]
  5. A new face and a space ship.  Right. [↩]