Taking DIY to the Next Level
"3D printing is the cornerstone of the coming shift, and its effect on our daily lives will be multiplied by several converging forces: the collaborative economy, the jobless economy and the age of personalization.
As these three very different economic forces bear down on DIYers and their tools -- especially 3D printing and related tools -- the market will shudder hard and eventually reboot. Here's how that will work."
The sentence above comes from the "Taking DIY to the next level" article at TechNewsWorld, which includes contributes from DiDIY member Marco Fioretti. Here are some excerpts:
The Economic DIY Big Bang
The next level of DIY likely will take the form of meeting the new market demand for essentials."The biggest impact will come when digital DIY is allowed or pushed to move down the pyramid of needs, from gadgets for first-world problems to agriculture and mass customization of low-tech objects that everybody already needs and use," said Marco Fioretti, leader of Work Package 8: dissemination, future road map and sustainability at Digital Do It Yourself. He spoke on his own and not in his capacity at DiDIY.
From Virtual Store to Personal Factory
That's.. a personal factory -- home manufacturing tools that enable you to create and produce whatever you desire or need. Necessity is the mother of invention, so invention will spring forth from areas that are suffering the most.
"The most relevant applications of 3D printing and other digital DIY in general may very well come not from Silicon Valley, but from places in dire straits, like Greece," Fioretti told TechNewsWorld.
Where Personal Factories Fit
Personal factories will exist for reasons of survival and artistic expressions, and they might become income generators and micro or small businesses.
"Digital DIY does not necessarily create more economic activity -- not of the kind that increases GDP at least -- but for people who live paycheck to paycheck or off their pensions, it can be a big help," Fioretti said.
"In other words, digital DIY can increase resiliency, both at the personal and community level, from DIY Internet access network in rural areas to increasing local food production through hydroponics, crop and cattle monitoring, and other things such as telemedicine, etc.," he added.
"Social makerspaces -- that is, places that 3D print, CNC mill, etc., on-demand -- would also create service jobs that cannot be outsourced and are cool," Fioretti said. They would "give youngsters both help to stay in the local area and not migrate to find a job, and skills they may reuse later on in other jobs."
Continue reading at TechNewsWorld.
