"Any" kind of 3D shape is already available. At the front-end, we have software like Rhino and MicroStation that get hooked up to programs running algorithms to create fantastical shapes -- even buildable ones, like the olympic stadium in China, complex enough to be called "the bird's nest."
At the back-end,we have 3D printers that can produces shapes not otherwise manufactureable, because of their layer-upon-layer process.
Now Intel says it is closing the gap between the two: products whose shapes are defined programmatically.
The concept of programmable matter can be thought of as 'the ultimate form of digital printing'... simply 'hit the print command' and the matter would take that shape.
The material consists of glass balls that contain processors and use static electricity to stick together. Here are examples of their use:
- Mobile phones are thumb-size in pockets or like a wristwatch, and then expand to PDA-size when being used.
- Tweaking automobile design, such as pulling it to make it longer.
Timeframe: 4 to 40 years. Article here.
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