I’ve just spent two days making my way through the 3D Print Show in London. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to since I packed up home (and the cat) in Melbourne just a few short months ago.
As soon as I stepped through the doors at the Islington Business Design Centre the impact this new technology is having became obvious.
3D printing is amazing. It’s the only way to describe it. Until you see it in action with your own eyes you can’t really understand its potential.
3D printing will effectively change the very fabric of business across the world. It will reshape manufacturing, impact fashion and the arts and change consumer products. But the most bizarre way in which 3D printing will change the world is in medicine.
One of the most mind-blowing experiences I had in the last six months was when I printed my first 3D model on our UP! Mini 3D printer.
Then this Thursday I saw something even more amazing. I saw a 3D printed face (see below) that was as realistic as a person’s face. I had to check it wasn’t an illusion. And got so close to it, I thought it was going to talk to me.
Once I’d picked my jaw up off the floor, the reality of what I was looking at set in. It absolutely blew my mind. And it confirmed this was no fly-by-night industry. I was indeed looking at the beginning of a new industrial revolution.
The fact we can now 3D scan and print such detail is staggering.
That’s why I’m certain 3D printing is set to have as big an impact on the world as the personal computer has.
Because this technology isn’t about just printing off scale replicas of the Eiffel Tower. It’s about making the world better.
It could be through 3D printed prosthetics. It could be through new, inspiring pieces of art. It may even be inspiring younger generations to become ‘makers’.
Whichever way you look at it, this new industry in its own right is set to change the world.
Some of the 3D printers on display were the Ultimaker, MakerBot, Cube X and UP Mini (the same one we have in our Melbourne office). But there were more. I saw at least a dozen different kinds of 3D printer. And then there’s the range of 3D modeling software companies. And the 3D scanners…there’s a lot more to this industry than just the printers.
It’s clear to see is this industry is rapidly expanding. At each part of the supply chain are young, exciting companies poised to profit from it all.
Some of these companies are private. Some are investable on the stock market. Some will be pivotal to the expansion of the industry. And some that I saw today probably won’t be around in 12 months time.
Investors need to sort the good from the bad, and they need to know which companies are going to last. Because with an industry Credit Suisse predict will grow to over $12 billion by 2020, there’s a lot of money to be made investing in the right ones.
There’s been a number of big announcements in technology over the last 12 months. None more so unnerving for some than driverless cars.
Mercedes Benz’s latest S-Class is jam packed with driver assistance technologies. Mercedes said they could have made the thing drive itself. But understandably the world isn’t quite ready for it yet.
Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk has said a world with auto-cars is a future we will have to get used to. And Nissan is furiously working away at getting a fully autonomous car on the road by 2020. Of course you can’t forget Google’s ongoing testing of their driverless cars too.
But it’s the UK that seems to be making steps forward when it comes to driverless cars.
Since 2011 you’ve been able to travel between the Heathrow Terminal 5 business car park and Terminal 5 via the Heathrow POD. POD is a driverless electric car system that shuttles people around the airport. It’s safe, efficient and fantastic for the environment.
In May this year, as part of Heathrow’s five-year business plan, the airport announced an expansion of the POD project. The new expansion will operate from Terminal 2 and 3. The longer terms plans are to run over 400 PODs to nearby hotels.
But it’s not just Heathrow Airport investing in driverless, electric personal transportation. The city of Milton Keynes is now getting in on the act.
Milton Keynes is about 45 miles northwest of London. Although a nice place, the only major draw card of Milton Keynes until now has been as the home of the Red Bull Racing F1 Team. But now there’s something else to get excited about.
By 2015 Milton Keynes will have 100 driverless, electric pods running around the city. They will connect the main train station, office parks and shopping centres.
Although linking only a few locations to begin with, the potential of this technology is amazing.
In Milton Keynes’ future owning a car will be for the ‘traditionalists’. Imagine being able to call up a pod from your house, waiting less than five minutes, and being on your way to the shops quickly, safely and efficiently.
As I’ve said before, when you have an entire system of driverless cars, or pods in this case, the system becomes completely safe. Eliminating the human element in driving means safer road travel for all.
Projects like the one at Heathrow and Milton Keynes continue to prove their potential. And as they prove that this system works, I don’t believe it will be too long before we see a pod system launching in a major city like London or even Melbourne.
Every day you carry between seven to eleven different sensors. They exist in devices like your watch, your laptop and obviously your smartphone.
The most commonly known sensor is GPS. It determines where you are in this big world thanks to a bunch of satellites in space. Other common sensors include the accelerometer, gyroscope, temperature and (thanks to Apple) fingerprint reader.
And as we move forward in our connected world you’ll find more sensors in every new device you get. You’ll also find new sensors such as blood pressure sensors, skin temperature sensors and brainwave sensors.
You may have heard of the FitBit Flex, Nike Fuel Band SE, Jawbone Up and Adidas MiCoach. These are examples of devices that you can get today that are pushing the boundaries of sensors to monitor your health.
As sensors get smaller and more integrated into devices, the next question is at what stage do they become a part of our physiology? That’s to say when do sensors become biosensors?
Well for some crazy experimenters biosensors are a reality right now. Just this week a man implanted a horrifically large sensor in his forearm. The sensor is roughly the size of a large smartphone. And yes it uncomfortably creates a smartphone shaped lump in his forearm.
The sensor links wirelessly to his computer and monitors everything biologically. It can even warn him when he’s about to get the flu.
Now of course this didn’t receive medical approval. That means a doctor did not perform the implant. A ‘body modification’ specialist performed the operation. I won’t show you a photo but if you Google ‘sensor forearm’ you can find it for yourself.
As grotesque as this looks and sounds, it’s a big leap forward. As long as they’re not harming anyone and all parties are doing this consensually, then you’ve got to admire their bravery. It’s crude, and is a bit ‘horror-movie’. But it’s a clear indication that technology in the power of individuals can allow for remarkable achievements.
I don’t condone illegal medical experimentation. But with willing participants and the right moral circumstances, who are we to get in the way of experimentation like this?
Either way you look at it, biosensors will eventually become a way of everyday life. Not likely in the way just described. But smaller, less intrusive and used in a way that helps us all live longer, healthier and happier lives.
Sam Volkering
Technology Analyst, Revolutionary Tech Investor
