Game-Changing Technology: 3-D Printing

3-D objects can now be "printed".

This includes tools:

Concrete building structures:

Prosthetic limbs:


And even organs:

(full episode here).

And watch this Ted talk, where Dr. Anthony Atala "prints" a kidney during his talk:

And this:

Cyborg, anyone?

If you have any doubt about the power of certain types of cells to grow tissue, watch this:

Note: 3-D printing may have the power to replace cheap Chinese manufacturing, to allow people to create their own products, and to revolutionize many other aspects of our lives.

Remember that metal objects can be printed (see this and this). So can silicone, glass (and see this), alumina-glass composites, and even food.

And many electronics components are already printed (see this). But as Utopia Crowd argues:

The advances in 3D printing of electronics ... will also speed up the development of customizable electronics modules.