Emerging Technologies

Key Emerging Technologies

3D Printing

3D printing is exactly what the name implies it is; printing a three dimensional object. Currently, this is being used for part replication in manufacturing and other production areas which gives it the classification of an industrial robot, however, a large amount of research and development is underway in the 3D printing technologies.

The way it works is simple. Using a program, you the computer tells the printer the design and dimensions of the object you are wanting to print, much like an average paper printer, and then will slowly print said object out of plastic or even some metals. More and more materials are being added to the possible inputs for these special printers. This is where the technology developments will eventually change how we do things as a society dramatically.

According to an article by Maciamo Hay, the printers will soon be able to print in practically any material, not just metals and plastics, but also concrete, fabrics, and even food. Imagine, sitting at home and ordering something online and being able to tweak the item to your exact specifications, wants and needs, then watching it print right there in front of your eyes. Hay believes that in the near future, one wouldn’t even need to leave their apartment to shop for anything at all.

But, this technology doesn’t stop with commercialism. In another article by Lee Ventola, MS, it is explained how this technology should eventually be able to reproduce and replicate living tissue and organs. This is called bioprinting and leads me into the next topic I found worthy of discussion.

Stem Cells and Bioprinting

This is along the same lines as 3D printing and is essentially the same concept, only with entirely different results and procedures. The idea is quite simple really. The input material would be stem cells and the ‘object’ being printing would be living tissue, organs and even limbs.

While this may seem like the same technology as 3D...