3D printing. For some, it represents the biggest innovation since the internet, the industrial revolution of the 21st century. For others, it’s just a fancy delusion, or even a threat to society! One thing is certain: we’re gonna keep on hearing about 3D printing for many more years to come!

Click, print, shoot?

You’ve may or may not have heard of this guy from Texas, Cody Wilson, a 26 year-old law student who has successfully created a gun from a 3D printer in his own basement. Wilson didn’t invent the concept of 3D printing, he has merely created the first platform devoted to sharing the blueprints online for free to anyone who wants one, anywhere in the world, at any time. The magazine Wired has added him to The 15 Most Dangerous People in the World. But does he really deserve this “title”? I mean, quite frankly, he has the skills to use this new technology and make something out of it. And he is only 26! He has mentioned that he isn’t waging war against the universe or anything. He is just an anarchist who wants to prove that anything is possible. Really.

People are afraid of this innovation. 3D printing elicits an irrational fear.

“But what if it lands in the wrong person’s hands?”

You mean like terrorists? Mentally insane people? Oh please. If you really wanted to make your own gun, there are plenty of ways to Mc Guyver yourself into making one with some string, a light bulb and some chewing gum. For countries where gun laws are stricter, the 3D printed gun could be problematic. But not in the US. Guns are everywhere there. Just because you can print one doesn’t mean it isn’t easier to open your grandfather’s gun cabinet and shoot at things a couple of times. Of course, I personally don’t want to see more guns floating around, but if we start banning 3D printed guns, then we are gonna start banning 3D printing as a whole, which would be quite ludicrous. People are capable of concocting the most lethal weapons with only household appliances. Astonished?

I think it’s time to stop fearing innovation, or else we might as well just go back to living like Amish people.

From 3D printed pizzas to body parts

3D printing can change the world we live in and let us mold in objects of all sorts from your living room with the help of blueprints found on the internet. This innovation represents a revolution which allows us to save time, minimize costs of transport and do some good on this planet.

A mechanical engineer, Anjan Contractor has received a $125,000 grant from NASA to print 3D food, a technology that the space agency intends on using to feed its astronauts on long space voyages. Okay, space food doesn’t sound appealing at all. All I can envision is a dried soggy dough-like substance covered in some red paste mimicking tomato sauce. Yuck. And truthfully so, the pizza dough is made with powdered ingredients that can keep for years. But this is just the beginning, and printing food in 3D is still under development to make things yummy for our taste buds. Researchers believe that somewhere in the near future — I hope that’s soon — households will all be equipped with a 3D food printer, as it can provide each individual with a personalized meal. You can program your dietary needs into the 3D printer, and it will print out the exact nutrients that you require.

Look, look! This is the future.

The medical field has also used this technology to reproduce body parts such as ears, kidneys, blood vessels, skin grafts and even bones. This can change medical science forever. Afraid of 3D printing….pfffff.

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