After starting off with what looks like a jaunt through the
dunes of Tatooine, this video from Markus Kayser will eventually
bring you to a 3D printer that uses the immense power of the sun
to turn sand into glass.  The 3D printer, called the Solar
Sinter, was conceived of by Kayser to create shapes from the
vast nothingness of the Sahara Desert, specifically the portion
that runs through Egypt.  He's created quite the video
production as well, with every facet of the device and the
melting process painstakingly documented. He even makes a pretty
decent bowl at the end, which had me and some of the Boing Boing
commenters thinking about how a larger device might be used to
create structures in desert areas where resources are scarce.
It's not like the Sahara is going to run out of sand anytime
soon. [This Is Colossal via Boing Boing]