Make A 'Bot

Makerbot has introduced The Digitizer, a 3D scanner that can image real world objects and then print them out on a 3D printer.  3D printing has already sparked a fair share of conversation.  Some hail the benefits to the individual, of gaining more control over creativity, while others point out the dangers of being able to “print” firearms, or the economic implications of manufacturing obsolescence.

However, of greater concern to me is not the specific device, but the runaway speed of technology and the growing divide between it and consumers and manufacturers ability to understand its effects and implications.  Countless amounts of data have been generated by consumers of technology, particularly since the introduction of Web 2.0 and social networks in the mid-2000’s, yet we are just beginning to realize the extent and implications of data mining and its effect on our privacy and relationships.

How then are we to understand the issues associated with being able to replicate three-dimensional objects through something as simple as a printer?  How long before the products are not crude, plastic replicas, but something that resembles actual manufacturing – or perhaps living organisms?  Just about any tool can be used for benefit or for harm.  The danger is not necessarily in the tool itself, but in the growing gap between cutting edge technology and society’s ability to properly study and understand its implications.