Q: What’s the big deal with 3D printing, wearable tech, robots and drones? Are any of these technologies applicable to my business? I thought digital technology was about making cool websites!
A: If you have been watching the news lately you probably have noticed a lot of stories about Google Glass, health monitoring wristbands, the European Space Agency using 3D printers for rocket parts, and maybe you even saw the YouTube sensation of a Dominos’ pizza-delivering drone. It doesn’t look like a passing fad. In fact, some observers see this as nothing less than a dramatic transition period — from smart phones to more powerful and less obtrusive wearable tech, from software dominated technology to a renaissance of hardware, from fashion and technology being separate industries to being very much connected. It’s cool again to be able to build things.
Q: I can’t see myself ever walking around wearing Google Glass, tilting my head and asking “Google Glass, find me a coffee shop”!
A: Many people couldn’t imagine using smart phones either when they started to come out. We saw what happened to Blackberry when they figured smart phones were not going to make it big. Wearable technologies like Google Glass are starting to make breakthroughs in industrial work settings where having hands free or providing safety warnings can lead to some real benefits. According to World Market for Wearable Technology – A Quantitative Market Assessment – 2012, a new report from IMS Research, “increasing demand for actionable, real-time data in a range of applications is driving strong demand for wearable technology”. By 2016, wearable technology will be a $6 billion industry. Other consumer and business friendly technologies like 3D printing won’t be far behind.
Q: Isn’t it just hobbyists hacking away in their garages?
A: Not anymore. Gartner recently reported that 3D printer shipments will grow by 49% in 2013 and in 2014 spending will increase 62% to a market size of $669 million.
“The 3D printer market has reached its inflection point,” said Pete Basiliere in the report, research director at Gartner. “While still a nascent market, with hype outpacing the technical realities, the speed of development and rise in buyer interest are pressing hardware, software and service providers to offer easier-to-use tools and materials that produce consistently high-quality results.”
The price points are coming down and it’s conceivable that not too far off into the future, we will see 3D printers in businesses as commonplace as the laser printer is today. Need to develop a prototype, replace a part or produce some swag? Not to fret, just go to www.shapeways.com, find and download a free design, send to your 3D printer, grab a coffee, then come back with your product in hand.
Q: Is 3D printing really relevant to my business?
A: 3D printing, more formally known as additive manufacturing, makes three-dimensional objects from a digital model. Objects are scanned in 3D scanners and digitized or modeled with 3D software and then the digital blueprints are fed into a 3D printer. Materials, usually plastics but other materials like metals can be used, are then layered sequentially following the digital design. It has been used for many years for product prototyping but is starting to hit the mainstream.
Q: Is it just hype or can I actually use a 3D printer to manufacture some of my own parts?
A: Ordering parts can often involve waiting for production runs from suppliers and shipping that can take months. Some companies are discovering that it’s cheaper to “print” out their parts than to order.
Some studies have shown that with open source designs, software and low cost printing, consumers can even save money by printing many of the everyday products they currently buy from the store. A group of Materials Science & Engineering students at the Michigan Technological University recently took 20 common household items on www.thingiverse.com and found it cost $18 to make with 3D printing what would otherwise have cost $312 at the cheapest retail locations up to $1,943 at the most expense stores.
Q: Will hardware overtake software?
A: What we are seeing is a convergence of hardware and software. We are now in an age where we have digital applications integrated with hardware sensors in all kinds of products. Digital design and development is now not just about making websites. The digital worker of the future may be equally likely to be building smart cities, working on big data projects, and building exciting new products that can be launched on www.kickstarter.com and www.indiegogo.com.
While we may not be seeing the Domino’s DomiCopter delivering pizza by drone in your neighborhood anytime soon, an exciting new hardware sector is developing worldwide and Vancouver is emerging as an important player.
If you are interested in learning more about these emerging fields, you can join a new local meet up group, www.meetup.com/Zen-Maker-Lab-Wearable-Tech-3D-Printing-DIY-and-More/.
Written by Dr. Ivan Surjanovic and Cyri Jones,
adapted from BizTech101 column in Business in Vancouver
Photo by Jared Brashier on Unsplash