Remember Star Trek’s replicator which could churn out any object one desired at the touch of a button? 3D printing technologies & other rapid prototyping technologies are  evolving rapidly. Just like early day computers were used by groups of people on a timesharing basis due to high operating costs before the PC entered the scene, what if today’s fablabs turn personal in time? And what if the building materials become molecular? It has the potential to transform society in radical ways.

As the Center of Responsible Nanotechnology’s new Director of Impacts Analysis, Jamais wrote the October column for NanotechNow titled The Nanofactory Ecosystem. From a variety of viewpoints he addresses the question: ‘What if all of us could have a nanotech-based factory at home to construct just about anything we desire? Which “ecosystem” would spring up around such a disruptive, transformational technology?’

The context shaping and being shaped by such nanofactories is assessed from a variety of angles dealing with: design, distribution for nanofactories, distribution for products, distribution methods for toner, physical reliability, physical safety, health & safety, knowledgeable usage, ways to avoid abuse, political support, economic support, market acceptance. 

This entry was posted on Friday, November 30th, 2007 at 15:47 and is filed under design, future, science, society, technology, trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.