New technique for pirating from 3D printers is the next frontier in theft

I'm in ur Printrbot bed, sniffin ur noises. (credit: Lee Hutchinson)

Let's say the manufacturer up the street is making widgets with a 3D printer and you'd like to get in on that action. If you want to clone those coveted 3D objects, all you need is an audio recorder in the room with the printer. Using just the noises emitted by the printer, you have up to a 92 percent chance of perfectly replicating the object. According to a new paper published in Science, researchers have even replicated a key using this technique.

A group of "cyber-physical systems researchers" will present the hack next week at a conference devoted to cyber-physical systems in Vienna. It's the next frontier in IP piracy, which could conceivably lead to a future Pirate Bay full of files that describe everything from the latest mobile device parts to human bones for transplant.

Mara Hvistendahl reports in Science that the researchers used a consumer grade Printrbot to make three objects: a tiny square, a tiny triangle, and a standard-sized key. She continues:

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