Imagine being able to draw a solid 3D object in the air, the way you might draw signs in the air with your finger. That’s exactly the idea behind the Lix 3d pen, which can draw solid lines through the air with no need for paper. They launched a Kickstarter campaign just yesterday to get their new invention off of the ground and have already gathered more than 3 times their initial funding goal.

The Lix 3D drawing pen is just the latest contender in the rapidly developing field of 3D printing technologies – we wrote about an earlier 3D printing pen product, the 3Doodler, in 2013. Whether through 3D drawing pens like Lix or table-top 3D printers, this new technology has exciting prospects for creative and inventive types who want to be able to create anything from simple prototypes to complete market-ready products quickly and easily.

As high-tech as the Lix pen seems, the technology behind it is relatively simple. After plugging it into a power source and waiting for it to heat up, the artist or inventor inserts a thin plastic filament through the back that melts as it progresses through the pen – much like a hot glue gun. This melted plastic is cooled the moment it exits the pen, meaning that it can create lines of plastic rising up from their initial flat surface. With a bit of practice, the pen’s creators have been able to create mind-bending works of art illustrating the pen’s versatility and capability in different fields.

Source: Kickstarter | lixpen.com (h/t: colossal)