At this time of the year, pundits enjoy consulting their crystal balls to predict what lies ahead. They usually get it wrong. But there are a few trends far enough advanced to suggest further progress will occur. Wider acceptance of micro payments is one. The other obvious area is 3D printing – the creation of real products at remote locations through the transmission of data. 3D printing has been on the agenda at the World Economic Forum for a couple of years already and I’ll feed back the latest reports from Davos later this month. On a broader scale, though, this could be the year when it starts going mainstream. With massive impact on the world as we know it. You’ve never heard of 3D printing? Time to pay attention. – AH
by Eric Randolph of Agence France-Presse
3D printing will revolutionise war and foreign policy, say experts, not only by making possible incredible new designs but by turning the defence industry — and possibly the entire global economy — on its head.
For many, 3D printing still looks like a gimmick, used for printing useless plastic figurines and not much else.
But with key patents running out this year, new printers that use metal, wood and fabric are set to become much more widely available — putting the engineering world on the cusp of major historical change.
The billion-dollar defence industry is at the bleeding edge of this innovation, with the US military already investing heavily in efforts to print uniforms, synthetic skin to treat battlewounds, and even food, said Alex Chausovsky, an analyst at IHS Technology.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have already invented “4D printing” — creating materials that change when they come into contact with elements such as water.
One day, that could mean things like printed uniforms that change colour depending on their environment.
In the real world, the baby steps are already being taken.
Late last year, British defence firm BAE Systems put the first printed metal part in a Tornado jet fighter.
The company recently put out an animated video showing where they think such humble beginnings could one day lead.
It imagined a plane printing another plane inside itself and then launching it from its undercarriage.
“It’s long term, but it’s certainly our end goal to manufacture an aerial vehicle in its entirety using 3D printing technology,” Matt Stevens, who heads BAE’s 3D printing division, told AFP.
Revolutionising war and politics
But the real revolution of 3D printing is less about the things you can make and more about where you make them.
Being able to take printers to a warzone promises a radical shake-up of combat and the defence industry, says Peter W Singer, an expert in future warfare at the New America Foundation.
