Lin Lixin picked up the controller, looked at the NX controller that was derived from the Atari 2600 but had developed its own style, and a smile appeared on his lips.
Sometimes, if one path is blocked, you don't necessarily have to stubbornly persist in your misguided approach.
MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) simply cannot do it.
Instead of fixating on solving this problem, we might as well try a different approach.
Even reversing a couple of steps.
"We can build purely mechanical structures."
Gerald froze, speechless, stunned by Lin Lixin's audacious idea.
Purely mechanical structure?
What the heck?
"Are you going to order a real steering wheel from a car manufacturer?"
Only those steering wheels used in actual vehicles can be considered mechanical structures.
What modern device can function without electronics?
Even if the input relies solely on bearings, a chip is still needed to transmit the signal to the host computer.
A truly fully mechanical structure is, in principle, completely impossible.
Not to mention that this route completely contradicts Lin Lixin's idea of making it enjoyable for both adults and children.
"I do need to hire someone outside to do some verification, but not from a car factory."
Lin Lixin grinned.
Rock Hill, South Carolina.
This small town on the East Coast of the United States may not be as full of high-tech companies as Silicon Valley in California, but it is home to a company that is extremely "future-oriented".
"Mr. Lin, I'm confident this investment will not disappoint you."
Charles Hull, the boss of 3D-Systems, walked in front of Lin Lixin, his face flushed.
He had just finalized a record-breaking acquisition, which made it difficult for him to remain calm.
Especially since the investor is none other than the legendary Lin Lixin.
This not only means that he will be financially secure for the rest of his life, but also that this man with extremely keen strategic vision highly approves of the new technology they have.
Nothing brings a man more satisfaction than professional success and respect, and financial freedom.
"Honestly, I even regret not coming to find you sooner."
Lin Lixin smiled, "GAMENOVA has so many uses for this."
"Yes, that's right. It's much faster than ordering from a big factory."
Charles readily agreed and led Lin Lixin toward the laboratory. "Then—shall I take Mr. Lin to see the SLA prototype?"
"Of course, that's why I came here."
Lin Lixin did not refuse, his eyes scanning the surrounding environment, becoming more and more satisfied with what he saw.
3D-Systems is still a little-known small factory in this era.
It won't achieve much even until the late 1990s and early 2000s.
However, Charles's invention of SLA stereolithography technology was the pioneer of "rapid prototyping" technology.
3D-Systems is also the world's first rapid prototyping equipment company.
"Rapid prototyping" is a term unique to this era.
Modern people usually prefer to call it by its more descriptive name – 3D printing.
That's right, this small factory, which is still a startup, is the founder of 3D printing.
Lin Lixin had already been thinking about this when he first saw the crude appearance of the testing platform.
Unlike modern developers who can easily customize the parts and casings they need using 3D printing if they want to conduct a technology verification, this method is different.
In this era, if you want to create a reference shell, you either have to do woodworking or other handcrafted work, or you have to use machinery.
Only after verification can we find a factory to open the mold and start mass production.
If any step in this process goes wrong, it will require a lot of money to start over.
Just like the NMD ergonomic mouse that GAMENOVA made before, the whole molding process was not so smooth.
If they can use 3D printing, they can rapidly iterate prototypes at a much lower cost than in the past.
Contrary to popular belief, 3D printing technology was already developed in the late 1980s.
Although the equipment cost remains high, it is completely different from the FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) printing that can be done for a few thousand dollars in the future.
However, spending several million dollars to get a few units and place them in the company is a long-term investment that will provide a permanent solution.
Moreover, this technology will continue to generate revenue in high-end fields such as aerospace, automotive, and medical for a long time to come.
"That's it, Mr. Lin, the SLA-250. It's expected to be available on the commercial market in about a year."
Charles led Lin Lixin to a large vending machine that was taller than a person.
Lin Lixin took the mask, blocking out the somewhat strong smell of synthetic resin, before approaching.
This is a large vat of resin.
Inside is a grid driven by a motor, and above it is a solidified light source.
As the light source moves, it solidifies the 3D model layer by layer, eventually forming a complete 3D model.
Is it usable now?
"Of course! But—"
Charles scratched his head, "It can only use the. STL files we invented, so NovaEngine currently—"
As a leader in the 3D field, Charles was naturally aware of GAMENOVA's amazing 3D software.
But there are some problems with using them in 3D printers.
"Oh, that's fine. All software is the same to me. I just want to make a little gadget."
Lin Lixin waved his hand; this kind of threshold was nothing to him.
However, Charles's words did give him a wake-up call.
A 3D software program with modeling capabilities definitely needs to consider supporting the STL format.
With that in mind, Lin Lixin simply dialed a number.
" Carmack, we've got a job."
The transportation of the equipment was handled by 3D-Systems itself.
Lin Lixin, however, had already taken a plane back to the company.
"Why did you come back empty-handed?"
Gerald was completely bewildered when Lin Lixin appeared before him with a cheerful smile.
Even now, he still doesn't understand what Lin Lixin is planning to do.
Lin Lixin chuckled and reached into his pocket to pull out a small resin gadget.
He went to the television, picked up the handle, fiddled with it for a bit, and then stuck the thing in place.
Gerald approached, puzzled, and was finally able to see the thing in its entirety.
It's frighteningly simple.
The whole thing consists of a fixed gear and a rack.
The other end of the rack is secured to the joystick head via a simple snap-fit mechanism.
The finger rests are two hollow rings, just the right size to fit the fingertips.
Gerald blinked in confusion at first, then his expression suddenly changed, and his eyes widened in surprise.
A purely mechanical steering wheel! Holy shit! It really is a purely mechanical steering wheel!
Now he finally understood what riddle Lin Lixin was trying to utter.
The only function of this little gadget is to convert the left-right swing of the joystick into rotation.