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ZDNET's key takeaways
Even junk drawer mysteries can highlight AI's real-world potential.
Google Lens nailed obscure 3D printer parts from multiple brands.
Scale and context still confuse AI visual recognition tools.
We all have our junk drawers. Typically, there's one in the kitchen that holds many tiny pieces of appliances, covers, caps, and accessories. There's often one in the bedroom, which tends to collect the detritus of a decade's pocket debris. Sometimes, there's a drawer or a shelf in the workshop that also serves as a collection location.
These are our catch-alls. They're the designated places to drop stuff with no designation.
Also: 7 ways I use Google Lens every day - and why it's one of my favorite AI apps
I had one in my Fab Lab that was getting totally out of control. The Fab Lab is the climate-controlled room in my house where I keep my servers, 3D printers, and the Glowforge laser cutter. That junk drawer contained lots of random tools, but it also contained droppings from nearly 10 years of 3D printers and other non-standard technical gadgets.
After spending a fairly extended time finally cleaning out the drawer, I was left with five items that defined identification.
David Gewirtz/ZDNET
The only one I had a clue about was the item on the far left, because I could read "Anycubic" on the plastic. Anycubic is a 3D printer vendor, so clearly this was something for one of their 3D printers.
Also: 4 ways Google Lens on Chrome magnifies my productivity - and how to use it
We live in the world of AI. What might Google Lens tell us about these objects? Google Lens is Google's portal to photo-based knowledge. It's essentially a search engine for your camera. Let's look at how that works in practice.
Let's let Google Lens tell us
This was an ideal use of Google Lens on the iPhone. It works pretty much the same way on a modern Android device. The first step was to open the Google app and click the Lens icon.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
Next, I gave it permission and acknowledged reading all the cautions. Basically, you have to let Google look at your photos. In this case, some machine at Google now knows I have some odd junk in my drawer.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
I decided to start with the flexible, semi-transparent object since I had a few of them, and absolutely no idea what they were for. I brought one into the Google Lens screen and snapped a picture.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
The results amazed me. Google correctly identified that item as a nozzle cover for an Ultimaker 3D printer. I have two such Ultimaker printers, both from around 2017 and 2018. This was a deep cut for the AI to be able to find. Call me impressed.
Next up was the item labeled "Anycubic." As it turns out, this is a feeler gauge (something for measuring the offset of the hot nozzle from the build plate). It's for a 3D printer that I donated some time ago, so I don't need to keep it around. I dropped it off at the makerspace where I donated the printer.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
The next item turned out to be a thermal sock for the hotend on a Creality K1 Max 3D printer. The hotends can reach 300 degrees C (572 degrees F), and these thermal socks help protect the rest of the assembly. I could tell it was part of a hotend, but I didn't know which type of printer. Google Lens identified not only the brand, but the models it's compatible with.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
Two tries
The next item was more challenging. Without scrolling down, can you identify this?
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
Google Lens got this wrong on its first try, incorrectly identifying it as a wooden shaker leg. I still wasn't sure what it was, so I looked at it more closely and realized there was a cap that could be removed. I ran it through Google Lens again. That time, the AI got it right.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
A lancet is most often used for puncturing skin to draw a little blood, usually for use with a blood glucose meter. In 3D printing, the tiny point can be used to puncture clogs in tubing or a nozzle. My wife had brought one home for me to use for that purpose way back when she was in nursing school.
The one failure
Interestingly enough, the one item Google Lens failed to identify was the one that I eventually remembered.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
Among the incorrect suggestions was anti-chipmunk spikes. That just seems mean. What happened, I think, was that Google Lens didn't know the scale of the item, so it just found things that looked like flat rectangles with lots of little posts.
In fact, this is a nozzle wiper for a Lulzbot Mini 3D printer. It's a bit of flexible material that the hot nozzle runs against to wipe the extra spew off before it continues to print.
Unfortunately, I threw the item away when I took these pictures, because just now I had a thought. If I put a penny in the picture next to the object, would that give Google Lens scale, or would Google Lens just identify the penny?
In any case, Google Lens is pretty impressive. Have you tried using it to identify something fairly obscure? Have you seen it get confused over the object's size? Let us know in the comments below.
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