Introduction: 3D Printing and the Future of Digital Fabrication (01:43)

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We buy most of the things we need, but digital fabrication is changing that, and changing our economic structure with it.

Makers' Convention (01:58)

People who digitally make their own things gather in San Mateo, CA. Digitalization will create a shift in our economy. A boy demonstrates his Rubik's Cube solving robot.

Makers' Movement (02:53)

An expert talks about the makers' movement. At a makers' convention, see a pancake-making robot and a drone battle.

Ikea Effect (01:10)

Research shows that there is greater satisfaction in making something than buying it.

Zero Marginal Cost (01:34)

Economists assumed the Internet's zero marginal cost phenomenon would exist only in the world of bits; 3-D printing shows otherwise.

MIT (01:58)

MIT researches digital fabrication at the Center for Bits and Atoms. A researcher talks about how expenses have declined.

Digital Fabrication Machines (01:26)

The 3-D printer is only the beginning of digital fabrication; see other machines at MIT.

Widespread Use (01:45)

Digital fabrication allows personalized production. Soon, such equipment will be widespread.

Manufacturing Electronics (02:54)

Ayah Bdeir founded Littlebits to enable people to manufacture their own electronics.

Human Nature (00:58)

The human drive to make things is deep-rooted; humans shape their environments. A makers' movement advocate believes expressing ourselves by selecting products is unnatural.

Future Business Models (03:01)

Digital fabrication threatens the mass production model. Shapeways provides material and makes items to order.

Chair (02:45)

A designer created 3D printed puzzle pieces from which to assemble a chair.

Future Economy (02:03)

An expert argues that digital fabrication democratizes production. A digital manufacturer envisions a future of production for local markets.

Consuming What We Produce (01:02)

A man ridicules the modern economy where we produce things so we can buy other things, envisioning a future where we create what we consume.

Genetic Engineering for Masses (02:38)

At a do-it-yourself bio lab, people can genetically engineer living material.

Cheap Genetic Engineering (01:55)

Techniques like DNA sequencing have become cheap. A genetic engineering lab open to customers uses cheap products. The owner talks about her types of customers.

Spreading Knowledge (02:26)

The owner of a do-it-yourself genetic engineering shop hopes to help the public understand genetic engineering directly.

Concerns about Digital Fabrication (03:20)

Supporters address concerns that things will go wrong with digital fabrication and do-it-yourself genetic engineering.

NASA (02:54)

NASA seeks out new technologies in the maker movement, offering prizes.

Chess Playing Robot (00:55)

A man demonstrates his chess playing robot.

Cutting Edge Printer (02:59)

An advanced printer uses robot arms, so that construction is not limited by the size of the printer. He plans to create a bridge that builds itself.

Return to Past (02:13)

The Makers' Movement returns us to the past, producing locally what we consumed. Gandhi understood that mass production benefited the few at the expense of the many.

Credits: Making the Future: 3D Printing and the Future of Digital Fabrication (00:30)

Credits: Making the Future: 3D Printing and the Future of Digital Fabrication