Need a building customized for a particular site quickly? Researchers say a 3D printer may be the answer -- and could reduce the cost to boot. Researcher Steven Keating and colleagues write in this week's Science Robotics a 3D system could reduce construction costs while speeding the process, incorporating different materials and densities as the process moves forward to produce optimal combinations of strength and other properties. "Contemporary construction techniques are slow, labor-intensive, dangerous, expensive, and constrained to primarily rectilinear forms, often resulting in homogenous structures built using materials sourced from centralized factories," the researchers said. Instead, they propose a digital construction platform, an "automated construction system capable of customized on-site fabrication of architectural-scale structures using real-time environmental data for process control."

The 3D printing industry in South Korea has just received a significant boost, with the announcement of a new state initiative. The government has released details of an evaluation and compensation system soon to be established in the medical device industry, which will provide particular incentives for the use of newer, innovative technologies. Medical devices that make use of 3D printing, as well as artificial intelligence and robotics, will be evaluated more effectively and partially funded by the new government scheme. In 2016 South Korea's 3D printing industry was worth around $75 million, under 2 percent of the global 3D printing market, and increasing its 3D printing footprint has been a priority of the South Korean government for a number of years now. We reported before on efforts to improve use and development of 3D printing in the country, with initial discussions around the easing of regulations and various tax breaks starting last year.

Planetary Resources, a company hoping to make asteroid mining into a trillion dollar industry, earlier this year unveiled the world's first 3D printed object made from bits of an asteroid. Just a few years ago, most 3D printing was only used for building prototypes, which would then go on to be manufactured via conventional processes. But it's now increasingly being used for manufacturing in its own right. Nearly two years ago, NASA even sent a 3D printer to the International Space Station with the goal of testing how the technology works in micro-gravity. While the printer resembles a Star Trek replicator, it's not quite that sophisticated yet; the objects it can print are small prototypes for testing.

Manufacturing companies have traditionally been slow to react to the advent of digital technologies like intelligent robots, drones, sensor technology,artificial intelligence, nanotechnology & 3d Printing. Industry 4.0 has changed manufacturing. At a high-level, Industry 4.0 represents the vision of the interconnected factory where all equipment is online, and in some way, is also intelligent and capable of making its own decisions. The explosion in connected devices and platforms, abundance of data from field devices and rapidly changing technology landscape has made it imperative for companies to quickly adapt their products and services and move from physical world to a digital world. Today, Manufacturing is transforming from mass production to the one characterized by mass customization.

To create their contraption, the team turned to 3D printing. They used a custom 3D printer called MultiFab to make the T-shaped gizmo, which has a small circular part that changes color when the T's crossbars stretch. MultiFab did everything, from printing the device's thin, sensor-laden plastic skin to depositing and curing the liquid that serves as its semiconductor. "In nature, networks of sensors and interconnects are called sensorimotor pathways. We were trying to see whether we could replicate sensorimotor pathways inside a 3-D-printed object. So we considered the simplest organism we could find."

Trees and other plants, from towering redwoods to diminutive daisies, are nature's hydraulic pumps. They are constantly pulling water up from their roots to the topmost leaves, and pumping sugars produced by their leaves back down to the roots. This constant stream of nutrients is shuttled through a system of tissues called xylem and phloem, which are packed together in woody, parallel conduits. Now engineers at MIT and their collaborators have designed a microfluidic device they call a "tree-on-a-chip," which mimics the pumping mechanism of trees and plants. Like its natural counterparts, the chip operates passively, requiring no moving parts or external pumps.

Over 150 technologies were considered as part of the PWC Essential Eight Global Megatrends review where technologies with the greatest expected impact over the next 5 to 7 years are identified. Only eight technologies made the list and our review of the technology and example use cases follows. Using computer systems and technology to perform activities that would otherwise require human intelligence. While many people immediately think of futuristic movies with lifelike robots that can interact on a human level, this technology is available today and being used in ways that allow humans to focus on more challenging problems. Forms of artificial intelligence have been around since the 1950's and became popular with large tech companies during the 90's and 00's.

It could be the end of seemingly neverending delays and arguments with builders. A San Francisco startup has revealed a future where homes are built in just 24 hours. Apis Cor unveiled a 400-square-foot house in a town outside of Moscow, Russia that was constructed using a mobile 3D printer. The technology printed the walls, partitions and building envelope from a concrete mix - the entire project was done in a single day and amounted to $10,134. A San Francisco startup foresees a future where homes are built in just 24 hours.

Imagine picking out the perfect engine, wheels and steering system and then assembling the pieces together to make your dream car. That's how cars could be made in the future, according to Ford, who has built a giant 3D printer that can produce almost any part of a full-sized vehicle. The company said its invention could be used to produce cheap and light-weight 3D-printed cars, with personalised vehicle parts. To produce a 3D car part, the desired piece is first designed using a computer programme. Specifications for a part are then transferred from the programme to the printer's computer, which analyses the design.

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing or 3D printing are emerging technologies that have a huge potential in a variety of industries and applications. Despite both technologies being fairly new, particularly 3D printing, procurement market intelligence experts at SpendEdge state that these technologies have several applications in the supply chain for addressing procurement challenges, and will very soon become an integral part due to its improved and sophisticated functionalities. Rapid prototyping is one of the most common uses of additive manufacturing. Since designing a successful product can be very expensive and time-consuming, 3D printed prototyping makes it quite simple at the same time shortens the manufacturing cycle. The impact of AM on supply chain is massive, some of which include increased manufacturing flexibility, reduced material waste, and the ability to employ decentralized manufacturing strategies.