In our presentation TIDES of Change we point out that 3D printers will revolutionise the world. This prediction is sometimes met with a degree of scepticism. I mean it is wild to imagine that in the future should you want a pair of sneakers, rather than getting Amazon to mail them to you, you pay to download a blueprint from say Nike, pick your colours and hit the print button and a few hours later your sneakers are printed and ready for you to wear.  And all of this would be done in your own home!  Using composite material – glue, plastics and powders and printing layer upon layer printers are now able to “print” almost any object you can imagine. At the moment these printers are largely used by architectual, engineering and design companies but it won’t be long until 3D printers are priced competitively enough to replace your personal inkjet desk printer. It’s predicted that within 5-10 years 3D printers will cost as little as $500.

To bring this prediction closer to reality LEGO has created a 3D printer built out of nothing but LEGO bits! Child play 3D printing is now that simple. And to demonstrate what 3D printers can already fabricate the second video below demonstrates the printing of a ready to ride bicycle. The future of 3D printing is indeed already here.

 LEGO 3D Printer

Printing a bicycle you can ride

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