von Neumann Probe’s, 3D printing and the Bobiverse
Is 3D printing the future? Perhaps, but with limited-unlimited opportunity. Sort of a non-starter like Disney’s Tomorrowland (2015). It just never had the spark that persuaded the audience. It should’ve all been there: the sexy, sleek future with a wise, older, gray-haired George Clooney, but sadly, like most shiny future stories, it lacked credibility and mass market appeal…and maybe Johnny Deep in manic make-up and psychedelic haze. Often in the wave of initial excitement about new technology, advocates try to sell the benefits of the exciting new tech to the common man. 3D printing in every office. However, that novelty might not be so revolutionary to an accountant in Phoenix. In other areas, 3D printing pushes the boundaries of the havens now that it’s sellable in a geeky, long-term Arthur C. Clarke way.
Matthias Holweg, a professor of operations management at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, has concluded that “While I, like many others, have fallen in love with the notion of the ‘ultimate lean supply chain’ of having 3D printers at every other corner table to print single parts just in time where they are needed, I am afraid that this vision does not stack up against reality. 3D printing technology undoubtedly has great potential. However, it is unlikely to replace traditional manufacturing”(Holweg, 2015). Mr. Holweg is somewhat pessimistic, but that is the job of an Operation Management professor. Be practical, be safe. But why does 3D printing need to replace traditional manufacturing? Maybe it is supposed to leap beyond our expectations of production. Dropping biased first economy views of what is possible with 3D printing, let’s give the tech to those at the bottom of the economic pyramid, necessity being the germ of disruption. Who will take the medium further? An Indian farm boy that dreams of escaping his caste or a Yale-educated yuppster that has their nose bent out of shape because their latte foam had a clockwise twist rather than it standard counterclockwise swirl?
Current industry is already utilizing 3D printing but not the super fun companies like Tesla. They’re the boring old firms like dusty dinosaur GE. In 2016, GE developed a fuel nozzle for the CFM LEAP airplane engines that is uber-efficient and can only be made utilizing 3D printing. With thousands of orders for CFM LEAP engines, GE Aviation will produce more than 100,000 3D-printed parts by the close of this decade (GE Aviation, 2016). Also in 2016, GE doubled down, investing nearly a billion dollars in Concept Laser and Arcam, now both GE companies. GE ambitions don’t end at Aviation. The benefits that they can realize via 3D printing tech are more efficient wind/hydro turbines, and potential oil and gas product improvements would be nearly endless.
What’s more compelling to consider are the edges of 3D printing. Physicist John von Neumann back in the 30’s envisioned the von Neumann Probe, or self-replicating spacecrafts, capable of copying themselves. He referred to them as “Universal Assemblers.” This is an idea author Dennis E. Taylor further developed in his award-winning, self-published book We Are Legion (We Are Bob). The book has cultivated a cult following and websites have begun to emerge in which fans chronicle the timeline where von Neumann-like replicas, called Bob’s, populate the fictional Bobiverse.
Why do we relate to John von Neumann and Dennis E. Taylor’s visions? Because it is anchored in our zeitgeist. In von Neumann’s time, the foundation technology to bring his probe to life was in some unbelievable slick future, but now it is a tactile reality a rational endeavor. If we don’t see von Neumann probes launched into space in our lifetime, we can be confident that our children will witness autonomous AI probes launched into space with 3D printing capabilities to push exploration into the far corners of the universe.
This tech will not be realized because Peter Diamandis and Elon Musk want to mine asteroids, their hot air could power a trip to Mars. 3D Printing is going to work and become a significant industry because it presents the capacity for us to mold materials that before now has never been possible. Just take a moment to think of the medical applications that can be accomplished. The technology will allow us to push the boundaries of serious industry and interstellar research in a manner that we never could imagine, exponential exploration. History has proven that exploration for the sake of satisfying curiosity has always paid huge dividends. 3D printing will not be successful because it is possible, but instead because it allows us to achieve dreams that were impossible yesterday.
GE Aviation. (2016). 3D Printing Aircraft Parts | GE Global Research. Retrieved from http://www.geglobalresearch.com/innovation/3d-printing-creates-new-parts-aircraft-engines
Holweg, M. (2015, June 23). The Limits of 3D Printing. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/06/the-limits-of-3d-printing
Wikipedia Contributors. (2017, October 26). Self-replicating spacecraft.
Wikipedia Contributors. (2017, October 26). John von Neumann.
