By Carl Weiss
Most of us that grew up watching Star Trek, (or many of its spin-offs) over the last few decades. I always marveled at the technological prowess that supposedly awaited mankind a
couple of centuries in the future. Particularly if you were weaned on the original Star Trek series that ran from 1966-69. The wonders portrayed on the Starship Enterprise were beyond belief. Remember, this sci-fi series was televised back in the days before man had walked on the moon. Computers back then were huge devices that occupied entire rooms, required special cooling systems and telephones were something akin to a can on a string. Virtually every phone on the planet at that point in time was hardwired. So the thought that wireless communicators, talking computers, shuttlecraft, phasers, replicators and teleportation was a couple of hundred years in our technological future, was not so far fetched back then.
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| The original starship Enterprise (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
That was Then, This is Now!
Fast forward forty four years. By the year 2013, more than three quarters of the population of planet earth has a wireless communicator (cell phone). Many Smartphones come equipped with a talking computer (Siri). Microsoft Windows has built in voice recognition. The shuttlecraft concept has come and gone after NASA decided to mothball its fleet of Space Shuttles. Fear not Trekkies, because at least two private space contractors are designing the next generation of space shuttle in order to carry paying customers into the stratosphere and possibly even into low earth orbit. Also NASA and the ESA are working on reusable space crafts of their own. While the cop on the beat isn’t currently carrying a phaser, he or she comes equipped with a Taser. The US Navy has recently unveiled LaWS, the Laser Weapons System, which is a high-powered ship mounted laser canon that is designed to disable a boat or shoot down hostile aircraft.
Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jonathan Greenert praised the LaWS ability to take out targets at a fraction of the cost of other conventional weapons. He claimed that the LaWS can shoot down a drone for about $1 worth of electricity and predicts that it should be able to replace Gatling guns whose rounds can cost several thousand dollars each. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/08/17658147-navy-unveils-powerful-ship-mounted-laser-weapon?lite
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| 3D printer (Photo credit: Indiana Public Media) |
This brings us to the ubiquitous replicator, the one device that no Starfleet captain would dare leave the planet without. With it, a spacefaring crew has at its disposal a manufacturing plant capable of turning out hardware, textiles and even food. Who needs to do the laundry when you can replicate a new outfit at the push of a button? Who needs to cook when you can summon a machine to replicate any dish or beverage that you can describe. Face it, of all the technologies demonstrated on Star Trek, this one could be the biggest game changer of them all if only it were possible.
The Real Game Changer!
Guess what Trekies? The replicator is alive and well and coming to a store near you. Ever heard of 3D printers? Of course you have. These aren’t your grandpa’s printer, only capable of putting ink to paper. These babies are able to print three dimensional objects, one layer at a time. While the technology isn’t exactly new, what has changed recently are both what these printers can make, as well as how low their prices have become. I have seen several models liste
d on Amazon.com starting as low as $469 for a kit! Most models come in at between $1000 and $2000 but the price is falling and will soon plummet when several patients expire in 2014.
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| Casing for MakerBot Replicator 1 (Photo credit: Creative Tools) |
A recent study by Michigan Technological University predicted that 3D printers would soon be in every home, because of the fact that it’s cheaper to make many things yourself on a 3D printer than it is to buy them from a store.
“3D printers deposit multiple layers of plastic or other materials to make almost anything, from toys to tools to kitchen gadgets. Free designs that direct the printers are available from the tens of thousands on websites like Thingiverse. Visitors can download designs to make their own products using open-source 3D printers, like the RepRap, which you build yourself from printed parts, or those that come in a box ready to print, from companies like Type-A Machines.” http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/07/29/mtu-study-3d-printing-will-reach-the-home-soon/
Recently Kickstarter has funded several 3D printer startups geared toward home and classroom use. One startup has come up with a portable 3D printer called Bukito that has a price tag of only $600. Other companies such as Afinia offer high quality homebased 3D printers starting at just $1,599. Rival 3D Systems Inc. launched two consumer-oriented models this year, the Cube ($1,299) and the CubeX ($2,499 and up). However, price is only one aspect of why many people will soon acquire this revolutionary technology. The other consideration is what these babies are capable of creating.
What Can We Make?
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| 2010-12-24 - Creative Tools - Halmstad - Sammanställningsbild av ZPrinter 3D-utskrifter (Photo credit: Creative Tools) |
e spawned contests that encourage interested parties to submit designs for 3D printed creations. One recent contest by the IDSA asks contestants to submit designs for a 3D printed car.
“The Industrial Designers Society of America is tapping into the booming interest in additive manufacturing, more widely known as 3-D printing, to spice up its Aug. 21-24 conference in Chicago. IDSA has issued a challenge for interested parties to design a 3-D-printed car to launch down a ski-slope track at the conference. To enter, one needs to, in the association's words, "design the most awesome car (using our supplied wheels and axle)," and send the resulting 3-D model files created in the STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product Data) file format to Zach Kaplan (zach@inventables.com) at Inventables by Aug. 12.
IDSA's judges will select 10 best designs before the conference, based on two criteria: using unique attributes of 3-D printing; and aesthetics (beauty, fun, thematic). The association then will 3-D print the 10 designs and have them ready for launch on Aug. 24 at the conference.
The winner will receive his or her own 3-D printer. Runners-up receive a $100 gift card to use on inventables.com. IDSA said it will base the prizes on on three criteria: best flight (distance/style); most spectacular crash; and best aesthetics. It also plans to videotape the launches so it can post them later on YouTube.” http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20130715/NEWS/130719959/3-d-printed-cars-to-take-flight-at-idsa-event#
With technology like that becoming available, how long will it be before the term “Beamer Up” can be applied to printing yourself your next BMW? That doesn't mean that only engineers can own and operate a 3D printer. Just like personal computers and Smartphones, there is already an entire industry that is being built around off-the-shelf software used to help 3D printing neophytes get off the ground.
A recent article from the LA Times postulated that, “For those who are less tech savvy, there are new Smartphone apps that streamline the process of crafting or altering a design. Online markets have also popped up in which shoppers can customize and order 3-D-printed clothing, to
ys, gadget accessories and other products.
Industry experts say 3-D printing could revolutionize traditional manufacturing, much as the Internet upended the music industry, and fundamentally alter how consumers shop and how much they pay. Some tech companies are already foreseeing a day when every home contains a 3-D printer churning out custom furniture and clothes, or a Kinko's-esque store in every neighborhood where items can be manufactured on demand via printers.”
The Industry will Explode with Growth when the 2014 Patents run out!
This industry is growing in leaps and bounds. In 2012 the amount of money spent in the US on 3D printing was $1.2 billion. With a number of key patents set to expire in 2014, it is estimated that by 2020 the industry will gross more thann$21 billion. While the technology still isn’t exactl
y mainstream, there are a number of key players who are either using or are considering
the technology. One of them is NASA. The space agency sees 3d printing as a way of replicating parts, providing astronauts with a more varied diet and eventually even assembling entire spacecraft in orbit. The agency recently tested the technology in microgravity aboard their flying zero-g 727 aircraft nicknamed the Vomit Comet.
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| English: A stylized delta shield, based on the Star Trek logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
“There have been a lot of near misses in the past with spaceflight,” says Jason Dunn, co-founder of Made in Space, a company that aims to put an end to such jerry-rigged repairs with the next frontier of digitised DIY: 3D-printing in space. “When we start going out to Mars and back to the moon and going to asteroids, it’s going to be even more important that astronauts have printers with them.” http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2013/jul/30/nasa-3d-printer-space-station
It won't be long before large computer companies like HP, Epson, SAMSUNG and Apple jump on this bandwagon. Heck, HP and Epson make printers, it will be a normal progression for them to adopt and help proliferate this technology. The fact that so many grass root groups have cropped up and that large databases with finished design plans already exist, make it easier for newcomers to adopt this game changing technology.
While most of us don’t have to worry about the effects of weightlessness, the wait for this technology to become an everyday reality is here. Star Trek fans have a lot more to be excited about than you might think. Heck, even if you're not a Trekie, you will benefit from this game changing technology. All this writer can say is, “Warp speed, Scotty!”
If you enjoyed this article, pass it along to your friends. If you have a comment or something to add, enter it in the comment section, so we can share it with our readers. If you would like to know more about Carl or W Squared Media Group, write us at the email address listed on this blog or call us 904-410-2091. It has been my pleasure sharing my thoughts with you
Carl Weiss is president of W Squared Media Group, a Jacksonville, Florida based digital marketing agency that specializes in keeping client websites at warp speed. Carl also co-hosts the popular radio show Working the Web to Win every Tuesday at 4 m Eastern.
Carl Weiss is president of W Squared Media Group, a Jacksonville, Florida based digital marketing agency that specializes in keeping client websites at warp speed. Carl also co-hosts the popular radio show Working the Web to Win every Tuesday at 4 m Eastern.
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