Bio
Varvara Koneva loves exploring 3D innovations for heritage preservation, research, education and healthcare.
Whether it’s 3D printing cultural artifacts or breast prostheses for cancer survivors, she focuses her stories on the kindness and dedication of the people behind them.
Originally from Siberia, Varya thrives best next to big bodies of water or in the woods. Her husband and her young daughter share quite a dark sense of humor, which balances Varya’s dreamy nature.
When she’s not writing, Varya spends most of her time traveling, painting, and volunteering for educational NGOs, spreading the message of non-violent communication. An admitted book fanatic, she’s most likely to be found in a bookshop or library whenever she has an hour to herself.
Varya’s publications
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What is laser 3D scanning? A plain-language guide to the tech behind digital twins
Your phone has a LiDAR sensor. Photogrammetry software can build models from photos and videos. So why do engineers, surveyors, and forensic investigators still rely on laser scanners? Because when millimeters matter, few technologies beat them. Here’s what laser 3D scanning is, how it works, and what to know before you use it. What is…
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Inside forensic 3D scanning: applications, benefits & real-world cases
A crime scene is a fragile thing. The very moment investigators arrive, it starts to change: footsteps shift debris, bloodstains dry, and evidence gets moved, bagged or lost. Photographs and sketches capture a moment, but they flatten it. 3D scanning can change that. 3D scanning for forensics means using optical or laser scanners to record…
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MIT leverages 3D concrete printing for smarter, greener construction
Researchers at MIT have offered a new approach that could make 3D-printed concrete construction much more efficient – and potentially much greener. The team’s latest study demonstrates how factoring the real-world limitations of 3D printers into the design process can reduce wasted material while producing structures that are ready to print with little or no…
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EPFL’s 3D-printable elastomer redefines the toughness-durability balance
A new study from EPFL, published in Science Advances, demonstrates how a material originally designed for improved 3D printing has suddenly solved one of the biggest challenges in elastomer research: creating a material that is both highly resistant to breaking and durable enough to withstand repeated mechanical stress over time. At the core of this…
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Objects become invisible to infrared cameras with a 3D-printed thermal cloak
A new 3D technology could revolutionize how objects are protected from heat and thermal detection. According to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, researchers have designed the first all-3D thermal cloaking device that can make objects invisible to infrared cameras while shielding them from extreme temperatures. Detailed in Nature Communications, the study describes how the invention…
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3D-printed tooth implant brings back natural chewing sensation
Researchers in China have developed a 3D-printed piezoelectric tooth implant that can restore the sensation of chewing by converting biting forces into electrical signals that travel to the brain through the tooth nerve. The study, published in Advanced Science, offers a novel approach to one of the biggest limitations of conventional dental implants: the loss…
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3D printed to perform: inside Pidcock’s Bolide F
Tom Pidcock lines up for Saturday’s 19.6km team time trial in Barcelona aboard a Pinarello Bolide F to start off the 2026 Tour de France campaign, Cycling Weekly reports. The bike is built to squeeze out every possible second, and, surprisingly, a good chunk of that speed comes from a 3D printer! While his Pinarello…
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Indiana University Health’s 3D Print Studio reshapes surgery planning
When surgeons at IU Health need a precise, physical model of a patient’s tumor or anatomy before performing a surgery, they no longer have to wait weeks for a third-party vendor to deliver one. With the IU Health 3D Print Studio, one of the first FDA-cleared, hospital-based 3D printing programs in the US, doctors can…
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Bambu Lab reveals PLA Pure for a cleaner approach to home 3D printing
Bambu Lab has launched PLA Pure, a new filament designed for consumer 3D printing that combines a simplified material formula with certifications focused on safety, indoor air quality, and everyday usability. The company says that PLA Pure was engineered specifically for use in living spaces, where desktop 3D printers are increasingly becoming part of the…
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Formlabs’ Fuse X1 expands access to large-format SLS 3D printing for manufacturing
Formlabs has announced the Fuse X1, a new industrial selective laser sintering machine designed to make high-throughput 3D printing more accessible to engineering and production teams. According to Formlabs, the Fuse X1 delivers production-quality parts with up to three times the production capacity of competing systems while reducing part costs by as much as 50%.…
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3D printed installation at FIFA Fan Festival Dallas celebrates women in STEM and sports innovation
A new open-air exhibition at the FIFA Fan Festival™ Dallas is using life-sized 3D-printed statues to highlight the role of women working in STEM fields connected to the sports industry. The installation, titled #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit: Game Changers, features 26 women represented by lime-green, life-sized 3D printed statues up on display at Fair Park.…
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MIT 3D prints tiny Nozzles for smarter medicine delivery
Manufacturing complex, layered microparticles for targeted drug delivery has been a long-standing challenge in biotechnology. Conventional production of the specialized electronic nozzles involved spending days inside a high-tech semiconductor cleanroom. With a breakthrough from researchers at MIT, this can change by leveraging the rapid prototyping power of advanced 3D printing. MIT News reports that scientists…
