New Technologies

[Grok]

I see new technologies ushering in a new era, if they introduce something basically new, with no close historical analogs.

Change may be large scale, as with the Industrial Revolution. Or change may be a niche thing-a non technical example would be the legalization of marijuana.

The changes we might see with Information Technology?

1. Within quite severe constraints, yes, AI girl friends would count.

2. I can imagine a new version of Virtual Reality based on laser/plasma. It is the closest thing we have to the Star Trek holodeck.

3. Augmented reality?

4. Crypto currency?

5. Robot pets?

[Grok]

BTW...on the importance of how you make things.....

Will 3D printing turn out to be a major game changer, as the Industrial Revolution was? Or will it turn out to be a minor thing?

[Modoc]

BTW...on the importance of how you make things.....

Will 3D printing turn out to be a major game changer, as the Industrial Revolution was? Or will it turn out to be a minor thing?

If 3D printing is truly adequate for building houses and other larger structures, then it is an absolute game changer.

[Modoc]

10 trillion frames a second camera captures the movement of light, and it can be replayed in slow motion. this is mind-boggling.


https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/technol ... he%20video.

[Dust]

BTW...on the importance of how you make things.....

Will 3D printing turn out to be a major game changer, as the Industrial Revolution was? Or will it turn out to be a minor thing?

3-D printing (additive manufacturing) is good for some things, not so good for others. It is great for prototypes, demonstration pieces, small runs of things where machine setup costs would be prohibitive, and things were strength and precision aren't critical.

It could, if improved, also allow for fewer spare parts to need to be stocked in certain situations where you have strict limits on what you can bring with you, and resupply is out of the question. Think space travel, remote research bases, that sort of thing. For stuff that is made in massive quantities, it doesn't make as much sense. Machines can be setup to mass produce things with lower per-item costs.

Eliminating void spaces in the print, and getting really high strength parts is still very hard. High precision is also hard, but you don't always need that. Sometimes waste can be reduced by printing a part slightly oversized, then just making the final cuts on a traditional mill or lathe, resulting in all the precision you need. And sometimes void spaces are a feature, not a bug, and can be put in intentionally to reduce weight or make something with internal features that would be nearly impossible to make (at least as a single piece) with traditional subtractive methods.

So in some areas it could be significant, but in most large scale industrial applications, it probably can't compete. The real benefit will be in small batch applications and unusual situations. It also potentially opens up the design space for some niche applications.

I'm some ways it is already like self-publishing. Ordinary people with ideas can make and sell small numbers of items with a limited market and make a few bucks. More oddball items will be available as we see more of this. The quality might not be what you are used to from mass produced stuff (surface finish, etc.), but you will have more options as it becomes more common. That is why a lot of hobbyists are excited about it, but industry seems more wary.

[Dust]

If 3D printing is truly adequate for building houses and other larger structures, then it is an absolute game changer.

It's already being done, but it is basically messy layers of concrete piled up... Same issues as the cheap filament printers available to regular people, just on a larger scale: not pretty, not that fast, and not the best materials.

[rode_kater]

3-D printing (additive manufacturing) is good for some things, not so good for others. It is great for prototypes, demonstration pieces, small runs of things where machine setup costs would be prohibitive, and things were strength and precision aren't critical.
[snip]
So in some areas it could be significant, but in most large scale industrial applications, it probably can't compete. The real benefit will be in small batch applications and unusual situations. It also potentially opens up the design space for some niche applications.

There is one area; aerospace. In the building of aeroplanes and rockets weight is at a premium and 3D printing has made it possible to to building lighter parts without compromising on strength. Also low volume, high value.

Also for building structures on the moon or the desert. You have lots of raw material available and being able to build with that instead of trucking materials in can also be a game changer.

[Modoc]

If 3D printing is truly adequate for building houses and other larger structures, then it is an absolute game changer.

It's already being done, but it is basically messy layers of concrete piled up... Same issues as the cheap filament printers available to regular people, just on a larger scale: not pretty, not that fast, and not the best materials.

I am aware that it is being done but like you say it's not being done we'll. That is why I said truly adequate.

[pelmut]

With the current materials, 3D printing is rather limited in usefulness, but given new and better materials, or a better way of handling conventional materials, it could easily become the normal way of making things.

[Grok]

Airlander

[Uncle Al]

Airlander

I remember watching the video's of the original prototype.

My comment on the clip:

Put carbon-fiber in the structure to lighten, yet strengthen, the craft. Many of the "new" solar power generation systems would easily turn this into a 'cost per hour' miser. Very economical to operate. Initial cost would be a major consideration. Great to see this back in the news

Uncle Al

[Grok]

ornithopter

[Grok]

The link was intended for a YouTube video with the title "How Bionic Wings Are Reinventing Drones."

[Uncle Al]

Since the original video was removed from Youtube, I've found this as an alternative.
How Bionic Wings Are Reinventing Drones

The inspiration of nature in the invention is apparent in the way the wings were designed to twist as they flapped. Unfortunately, as da Vinci himself might have realized, while the flying machine may have flown once it was in the air, a person could never have created enough power to get the device off the ground.

With newer technologies available to us now, MAYBE a human powered "Ornithopter" could be feasible.
( Duration of flight would be quite limited )

Uncle Al

[Grok]

Thank you, Uncle Al.

There is a warm place in my heart for those who experiment with flapping flight. Eccentric-inventors.