We know that 3-D printers are being used in commercial manufacturing scenarios, but this story takes a fascinating look into the future of home-use of the 3-D printer. Here’s how Hod Lipson, author of “Fabricated: A New World of 3D Printing,” sees the potential.
He says 3D printing today is equivalent to the state of computers in the early 1980s and has the potential to grow very quickly.
“Will it end up in every person’s home? I think the answer is yes,” Lipson said, though he hedged by saying they’ll likely come in many forms, some plastic, others in the cloud, similar to the way computers have transformed over the last 30 years.
For example, people illiterate in the kitchen may find the printer a necessary tool one day, enabling them to whip up meals like eggs or pastries using edible inks while working off a seemingly endless Rolodex of online recipes.
Now just imagine the innovations, ideas, and new businesses that will be spurred by this technology.
