What gets me excited about this, and surprisingly is not mentioned in the article, is that this is a step closer to 'true' self-replicating machines. A step beyond the current model of replicating the mechanical parts and putting in the electrical parts by hand.
Of course this still depends on this special pellet ink, and semiconductors are probably a long way off too, but maybe not as far as we think?
I agree. I'm of the opinion that the effects of low-cost additive manufacturing (or however you like to refer to it) is going to take a lot of people of surprise and happen much sooner than people think.
We're right at the beginning of this technology curve (low-cost, personal 3D printing). There doesn't seem to be any theoretical limits to stop people creating any consumer object at home for low cost whether it's food, medicine, clothes, electronics, vehicles or more 3D printers.
Personally I think this technology will revolutionize society like no other has before and I think it will totally cannibalize our producer/consumer based economy. We won't need to visit stores to obtain the goods we need. We therefore won't need the pyramid of other goods and services that support them.
So while the technology will lay waste to the jobs that employ most of the world's population making them cash poor, at the same time people will paradoxically be materially wealthy. All that is needed is enough land to provide the materials to feed these machines and their owners.
Forgive my soaring, breathless extrapolations but I currently can't see how these things won't come to pass. Hold on to your butts, this one's a real doozy.
Agreed. It will be as disruptive or more than the Information revolution.
>Personally I think this technology will revolutionize society like no other has before and I think it will totally cannibalize our producer/consumer based economy. We won't need to visit stores to obtain the goods we need. We therefore won't need the pyramid of other goods and services that support them.
Yes, supply chains will basically simplify into supplying the raw materials alone, and people keep stockpiles, and download designs from the Internet, make their own designs, or scan an already existing item into a virtual design.
My big fear is the IP industry will attempt to own most of the designs. Imagine by contrast what a fully free, open source world would look like, where people just buy the raw material and freely share their designs online. The progress would be more than exponential. But if Big IP tries to lock it all up under patent and copyright laws, then who knows...
Yeah I worry about that too. I think it might play out in a similar fashion to the entertainment industry where the legitimate companies are restricted, sued and legislated against while the illegal file sharers/manufacturers essentially continue unabated.
From the outside file sharing has a real image problem, where it is considered as only a self serving activity. That it's only teenage youths illegally ripping off copyrighted work and where any societal benefits are dismissed out of hand.
Hopefully 3D printing will have more popular support from society at large, and legislators will find it more difficult to pass laws that only favour the IP hounds. Fingers crossed.
Of course this still depends on this special pellet ink, and semiconductors are probably a long way off too, but maybe not as far as we think?