What is RepRap? Introductory Lecture - Part 2 of 2

[5t34l7h9]

if we tried to print everything we needed then the cost of energy to run the thing would be astronomical. If mankind uses it as a tool that empowers individuals to maximize their creativity by cutting the red tape..why stop at a plastic medium we could print with anything..

[3goldy]

OMG!! this IS the "Replicator" from star trek, that makes the food & service tools out of thin air!!!

[MAACORTES]

this is probably the best invention i have ever heard of

[Rennonz]

The future is now.

[Incrue]

where can i download plastic?

[samwab]

@Incrue ebay. you need a really fast connection though.

[CosmosPrivateer]

With solar and wind for energy and this to make our products some day we won't need much money.

My children will be able to actually live free of servitude.

[IOPzK]

this should more well known ! If it wasn't for Zeitgeist 3 I wouldn't have heard !

[MAACORTES]

@IOPzK SAME

[elchippe]

so the Singularity is posible.

[matchbox555]

it cant make anything we really need

[samwab]

@matchbox555 it can make a lot of very useful things, with almost unlimited potential. Depends on your definition of need.

[matchbox555]

@samwab no what we need is this watch?v=zqyZ9bFl_qg

[FateMaster2]

@matchbox555 the problem with those (nano replicators) are:

- will need some time to be available (>50y)

- will be extreamly expensive (at least for the first time)

- It will need very pure raw materials or complex refining methods

- the technology can be very distructive and unstopable (you can't fight nano robots while they are eating your gun or you)

- If mal programed or craked or brocken it could produce toxic stuff

[matchbox555]

@FateMaster2 no they wont be expensive, because you only need to make one and it can replicate itself.

the main raw material you will need is carbon, almost everything can be made from carbon including electrical conductors, circuitry, hard and strong materials etc. to make food you basically need carbon, nitrogen (from the air), oxygen (from the air) water (from the tap) and a few trace elements that will be small in volume.

[FateMaster2]

@matchbox555 agreed.

But there is still the problem of filtering the air and other "material input".

Yes, it would be very benefitial but you could build everything with one of those.. food, medicine, devices, gaddgets, toys, posion, bombs, poision gas,.. It would be necesary to put some logic in it to prevent the user from building bad stuff and such a logic could be exploited by those with the money.

And the unstoppable nano bots eating the world vision does not vanish too.

[matchbox555]

@FateMaster2 you use nano-filters of course

for safety, each nanofactory will be linked to a central government computer which will know what you are making and not allow the nanofactory to make anything dangerous.

disconnecting the nanofactory from the central computer will mean it will no longer function because you will need the encrypted codes to make it work

a lot of the schematics for products will be developed in an open source way and downloaded freely

[FateMaster2]

@matchbox555 So the government is in control of what and when you make things. And I thought the storage of money transfer, travel, internet and telephone usage were bad! OpenSource but total DRM. - Oh boy even orvel couldn't dream of a better dystropy.

This must not be connected to any server at all. Maybe new patterns could be inserted via some sort of datacarryer.. never the less that kind of tech makes a nuke look like a child's toy. It's inventor will have to found another Nobel prize.

[FateMaster2]

@matchbox555 With a 3D Printer which can produce goods and food and medicine.. oh by the way their will be no need for medicine after the nano-bots can just repair a human and eat the bacteria and viruses.. the future is saved.

But menkind is not ready for it. Some idiot will make a weapon out of it.. actualy its an unstoppable weapon just by eat stuff and replicate itself. Not being a weapon is the trick.. its just like nukes and Nuclear power plants only infinitely more dangerous.

[dutchtruthseeker]

@FateMaster2 "bad stuff and such a logic could be exploited by those with the money." like they now use with fotocopy printers. They could use some type of block of specific templates for instance, in the same way you cant print money is a scanner/printer (epson 4800)

[FateMaster2]

@dutchtruthseeker actualy you can.. if you know how.. but still you don't have the correct paper and inc so it would be a lousy copy.

What I want to point out is, that a real nano factory would need so much security and would have such a huge data mining potential that it would be of no use any more. the Idea of this RepRap is to be as indepentend as posible.. a nano factory would have the oposide effect.

[FateMaster2]

@matchbox555 The first thought of mine was: new lego bricks.. but lego has a patent for those..

but then I thougth:

- cloth hoocks

- boxes

- caseings

- models (e.g for a model train)

- dices

- figures

- An now when I get my hands on one of those I will first print the machine parts (to have replacements) and then I will try to print a water turbine to get some power of the litle river in my backjard.

[111rhall]

@matchbox555 - I disagree. I am new to the idea of 3D printing but in just an afternoon of idle daydreaming, I've thought up two dozen items to make with it. It doesn't take much to think up many many many items that would be convenient and cost effective to make this way. Look around your environment.

[Shakespeare1612]

You are a man of incredible vision. Please name the 5th generation machine after yourself, because if reprap succeeds you will go down in history as as great a man a Mendel, easily.

[PaXx]

wow, just wow!

[hede88]

This is big! This is exactly what is needed for local communities to become self sufficient.

[sidthemyth]

why doesn't the machine use carbon?! cause it's everywhere.

[jsd23]

polylactic acid is mostly made of carbon atoms...

[3goldy]

@jsd23 now we need a machine that collects them from the air, & then EVERYTHING will be for free!