Every morning, we send you a free email packed with Austin news, business, and entertainment. Join 16,000+ readers who wake up to Austonia's newsletter.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed
(SpaceX)
Shaking up the construction industry, one startup is preparing to take its 3-D technology from Austin to the moon.
ICON, the Austin-based 3-D printing tech startup that is establishing the first neighborhood of 3-D homes for sale in East Austin, is teaming up with NASA and members of its Artemis Generation to create a 3-D-printed rocket landing pad made of materials found on the moon.
Members of the Artemis Generation, made of undergraduate students from 10 colleges and universities across the U.S., experimented with creating a device that helped solve the issue of excess dust lifting from a powerful engine taking off from the moon's surface. A solution was first proposed in 2019, and students found last summer that a 3-D printed Lunar Plume Alleviation Device worked best for the project.
With tech mogul Elon Musk's SpaceX and NASA saddling up for further lunar and space exploration, ICON will join the race as the technology behind the 3-D printed structures.
"This is the first milestone on the journey to making off-world construction a reality, which will allow humanity to stay—not just visit the stars," ICON's head of design Michael McDaniel told KXAN.
More on ICON:
FOR SALE: 'Boomtown' Austin selling first series of 3D-printed homes in US- Tech company Auctane signs lease at new Austin development ... ›
- Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk is moving to Austin, Texas ... ›
- NASA's Artemis mission could put the first Longhorn in space ... ›
- ICON partners with NASA to create the 3D-printed Mars habitat - austonia ›
- 3D-printing ICON builds military barracks in Austin-area - austonia ›
- Tour: Austin-based ICON unveils first look at 3D-printed home - austonia ›
- Austin-based ICON building world's largest 3D home community nearby - austonia ›
- Austin-based startup looks to help environment, water scarcity and wallets with free water products - austonia ›
- EnergyX grows Austin presence with larger lab and more hires - austonia ›
- Austin startup Otter Network launches new video creation products - austonia ›
Popular
(Pexels)
Caused mostly by a February recall due to contamination issues, followed by the Abbott Nutrition factory closure in Michigan, the shortage has left Austin shelves barren. However, earlier this week, U.S. officials announced a plan with the facility to restart production.
In the meantime, local parents in crisis have turned toward the Mother’s Milk Bank to keep their babies fed.
HEB on East 7th has been picked clean of formula and is limiting purchases. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
The milk bank—which takes donations from lactating mothers and dispenses milk to babies in the NICU—has been helping feed upwards of 30 families in need as the formula supply tightens.
According to the bank’s executive director Kim Updegrove, Mother’s Milk Bank has seen an uptick in calls from parents with healthy babies in need of help since the shortage began.
“We aren't used to hearing from families with healthy infants,” Updegrove said. “They're typically very upset, angry, frustrated, sobbing—it's scary to not be able to feed your infants. So in the past few weeks, those calls have been significantly increasing.”
Mothers are only able to donate if they are within a year postpartum, so Updegrove said they are constantly bringing on and retiring donors. While donors had been on a 30% decline leftover from 2021 when the shortage began, Updegrove said the shortage has led to mass community interest and more than 90 prospective donors in just the past few days.
“We and other milk banks are experiencing significant interest from the community—becoming milk donors and helping to turn around this crisis,” Updegrove said. “Every infant needs to be fed, every one of us can relate to that need, and we need to make sure as a community that it happens.”
Whole Foods downtown was also cleaned out of typical formula. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
While you may still be able to find formula at places like Whole Foods—which currently has goat milk, soy and plant-based formula in stock—Updegrove said it might not be what a baby needs.
Updegrove said it is best to buy types that say “infant formula,” as they are FDA approved and will provide the nutrients, vitamins and minerals a baby needs. Plant-based, homemade, non-cow's milk or diluting formula may not provide the same nutritional value.
As the community navigates the shortage, Updegrove said the most important way to help out is to not panic buy or stockpile.
“This is a crisis for families,” Updegrove said. “This is the time for the community to gather together and figure out what everyone can do to help families with young infants.”
