Alvin Toffler the trendspotting master may be proven right once again. Rapid prototyping, 3D printing, digital fabrication, desktop manufacturing -- call it what you will -- is becoming more and more affordable, opening up all kinds of possibilities for prosumers, even those who are not savvy enough to build their own Fab@Home or RepRap. Here's the latest: According to Engadget, Desktop Factory is planning to sell 200 3D printers sometime this year (2007) for US$4,995 each in an initial test run, with the goal of eventually dropping the price to US$1,000 in four years.
If this technology ever becomes as ubiquitous as the 2D printer, there is the very real possibility that it is only going to generate more products that are not truly needed, only desired. On the other hand, a digital fabricator like MIT's Fab Lab that is aimed at helping people in the third world build tools for work and survival seems to me to be a much more useful endeavor. (Plus it's more versatile because it even builds electronics!)
via Engadget
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