Module 3 Assignment 1: 3D printers are enhancing life as we know it

  
“History doesn’t repeat itself. 
At best, it sometimes rhymes.”

—Mark Twain

According to a study by Briggs (2014) “Creative thinking not only enhances our ability to adapt to our environment and circumstances but also allows us to transform those environment and circumstances.” 3D technology is a perfect example of how humans have evolved to enhance and adapt the environment around them. Although technological devices might not reemerge from the past, the effect of their original impact has the ability to reappear time and time again. Dr. Thornburg (2014h) noted that it is not the technology that has been rekindled, but the effect of the technology that is rekindled and how it’s being used through their evolution and progression. As Dr. David Thornburg (2014h) noted how emerging technologies might not repeat, but often rhyme from the past, 3D printing is a rhyme of the ancient style of Chinese Block Printing that evolved to production printing which is currently seen in inkjet printers, laser printers, injection-molding, and printing presses. Currently, the 3D printer is capable of printing liquid or solid food; military machinery parts; body organs, prosthetic, parts, and skin; manufacturing and automotive parts; electronics; and toys (Gilpin, 2014).

Ancient Chinese Block Printing

Legos printed using Injecton Molding

Customized prosthetic printed on 3D printer for children
        range from $50 to $100 (Heigl, 2015).

http://enablingthefuture.org/

Cost of standard prosthetic limbs range from $5000 to $50000

                                                               (pictured: Deka Arm)

The fusion of 3D printing technology into medical practices, mechanical and science fields, and educational systems would allow users to transform their environment and circumstances by cutting production time, waste, and cost in half while also making the final product customizable and more precise. For example, Organovo is using 3D printers for bio-printing of human cells and tissue which cost roughly $1 per mold compared to $10000 to $200000 (Bricker, 2014). Utilizing the 3D printing technology limits the amount of human and animal testing while speeding the process for regenerating body parts to a matter of hours rather than weeks (Leckart, 2013).

Integrating technology into curriculum would allow students to acquire skills necessary for the future workforce which was seen when 3D printing was applied to science classes and media production into humanities courses (New Media Consortium Horizon Project, 2015, pg. 8). Extracting DNA samples would help forensic teams solve cases to identify suspects by printing off the face of the suspect rather than relying on a sketch artist to recreate the victim’s recollection of the perpetrator. An artist who originally set out to explore how much identifiable information existed on tossed chewing gum and cigarette butts was used a 3D printer to share her findings in an exhibit (Chow, 2013). Using the samples, she extracted DNA from the tossed chewing gum and cigarette butts to recreate the faces of the sample’s users (Ghose, 2015). Her findings could benefit forensic teams to identify suspects in a shorter period of time.

Zero-G3D printers that are currently being used in space help make the space program more “self-sufficient” by allowing them to print their own replacement parts, experiments, and food (Gilpin, 2014). You can submit digital data to the printers for astronauts to print out the design and test while in space. Imagine the cost and time efficiency that is improved simply by not having to ship so many devices into space if you can simply print them there.  Similarly, 3D printers would be revolutionary in the classroom allowing students to shift from simply being consumers of information to becoming creators of their own learning (Briggs, 2014). The New Media Consortium Horizon Project (2015) claimed that integrating 3D printing into sciences would enable students to “understand the various intersections between technology and virtually any subject matter, acquiring a skillset that is desired in the contemporary workforce” (pg. 8). By creating a curriculum that allows students to develop and produce new products, educators can enable them to become productive members of our society who will contribute to the jobs that are projected to emerge in the near future (Palmer, 2014).

Anderson and Rainie (2014) mentioned, “The world is moving rapidly towards ubiquitous connectivity that will further change how and where people associate, gather and share information, and consume media.” As more manufacturers adopt the 3D printing technology, the device will continue to advance. Devices are evolving to become more portable and allow users to become more productive and efficient in their work. Organovo is also developing a portable 3D bio-printer to “graft skin directly to burn victims” (Leckart, 2013). This same medical advancement has the potential to revolutionize medicinal practices as we know it to bring science fiction to reality.

References:

Anderson, J., & Rainie, L. (2014, March 10). Digital Life in 2025. Retrieved July 7, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/11/digital-life-in-2025/

Bricker, D. (2014, February 10). New live-cell printing technology works like ancient Chinese wood blocking. Retrieved July 6, 2015, from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-02/hm-nlp020614.php

Briggs, S. (2014, September 20). Students as creators: How to drive your students to be more than just consumers. Retrieved from http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/students-as-creators/

Chow, D. (2013, June 6). Artist Puts a Human Face on DNA. Retrieved July 4, 2015, from http://www.livescience.com/37223-dna-portraits-genetic-privacy.html

Ghose, T. (2015, March 16). Bio-art: 3D-printed faces reconstructed from stray DNA. Retrieved July 4, 2015, from http://www.livescience.com/50146-art-genetic-data-privacy.html

Gilpin, L. (2014, February 12). 10 industries 3D printing will disrupt or decimate. Retrieved July 6, 2015, from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/10-industries-3d-printing-will-disrupt-or-decimate/

Heigl, A. (2015, April 2). 7-year-old gets 3D-printed prosthetic arm – made for only $50 (VIDEO). Retrieved July 4, 2015, from http://www.people.com/article/faith-lennox-prosthetic-arm-3d-printed

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014h). David Thornburg: Rhymes of history [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Leckart, S. (2013, August 6). How 3-D printing body parts will revolutionize medicine. Retrieved July 4, 2015, from http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-07/how-3-d-printing-body-parts-will-revolutionize-medicine

New Media Consortium Horizon Project. (2015). The NMC Horizon Report. Retrieved from
http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf

Palmer, K. (2014, October 17). Program helps Kansas city-area students create technology, not just use it. Retrieved from http://kcur.org/post/program-helps-kansas-city-area-students-create-technology-not-just-use-it