3D-rose

As the price of flowers – especially red roses – rockets on this particular day, could scientists at the University of Birmingham hold the answer to wooing your loved one in the future without breaking the bank?

While 3D printers still cost a prohibitive amount of money for most ordinary households at the moment, as the technology advances, and costs fall, they could well become more commonplace. And what could be more romantic than presenting your beloved with a one-off rose, designed and printed by your very own self?

Not only that, but as science advances, 3D printers are allowing for printing in a whole range of materials – even precious metals. Dr Kiran Gulia, from the University of Birmingham’s School of Metallurgy and Materials, who created the rose pictured here, said: “You can even make very intricate and beautiful jewellery with a 3D printer now – it really does look lovely.”

So, who knows, in years to come, the Valentine’s gift that means the most could even be a self-designed, home printed silver or gold rose, teddy bear or even a beautiful ring.

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