At the recent Davos 2017, Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum in conversation with Sergey Brin, co-Founder of Alphabet Google, described his book the 4th Industrial Revolution1 published just a year ago, as rapidly evolving with the rise of artificial intelligence2. While this revolution in fusion of physical, digital, and biological worlds from 3D printing, additive manufacturing, and net shape processing to nanotechnology, bioengineering to deep neural networks were. Most commentators and governments are looking at the positive and negative consequences of these changes both in terms of direct human work impact and indirect associated activity that may be impact from automation and a society with AI.

Housebuilders and makers of car parts in a few decades time may need nothing more than a large robotic arm, some raw ingredients and a programmable design, thanks to the next-generation of 3D printing machines which are opening up the technique to large-scale industry. There are currently two types of manufacturing: additive, also known as 3D printing, where an item is built by adding material layer by layer; and subtractive, which starts with a piece of material and takes pieces away through processes such as milling and polishing until you're left with the final product. Now, researchers are building hybrid machines that are able to perform both types of manufacturing at once, and on a scale that brings 3D-printed houses and cars within reach. 'We want to use the best of both technologies,' said Jose Antonio Dieste, from Spanish technology centre AITIIP. 'Additive manufacturing has some problems, one is the accuracy for large parts, another is the quality of the finishing.

The technique of machine learning, where an algorithm makes predictions based on the data it processes without being explicitly programmed, is an important and wide-reaching area of computing. So the prospect of merging machine learning with 3D printing, as can be seen in a new project by researchers at UCLA, is definitely an exciting one. Using a 3D printed prototype detector with a sensor that can be modified by machine learning techniques, the researchers have demonstrated a new, more efficient way to detect tiny items such as cancer biomarkers, viruses, and proteins. This could improve the treatment and diagnosis of serious infections and diseases. Plasmonic sensing has been used in medical research for years, in order to gather information about the composition of things at a sub-microscopic level.

Africa has registered impressive economic growth over the past decade and a half, displaying remarkable resilience in the midst of volatility and turmoil in global markets. Time is now ripe for the continent to turn the chapter and embark on a journey towards a major economic transformation. For this, Africa needs a new economic growth model powered by the strength of the real economy, entrepreneurship and innovation. A new report from Intellecap explores the critical role emerging technologies can play in helping Africa address its age-old development challenges and achieve exponential growth over the next decade. They researched and interviewed a range of emerging technology specialists from around the world and experts with deep experience on the social entrepreneurship and impact space in Africa.

From body parts to supercars, the family of 3D printed products just keeps expanding. But in a study published last week in Science Advances, scientists think small: German researchers 3D printed different lenses--each smaller than the width of a human hair--onto a chip. Such micro-cameras could be perfect for tiny drones and other pint-sized robots. "Our system is the only one in the world [where] you can put different optic systems on one imaging sensor that is very small," says study author Alois Herkommer, an applied physicist at the University of Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany. "The advantage of doing this by 3D printing is that each of these lenses can be different," says Herkommer.

Both printers use XYZ's proprietary PLA filament, which is non-toxic in case your kid decides to eat the green hamburger they just conjured. The printers have a resolution of 100 microns, which is far from what the industry considers high resolution, but a lower quality is to be expected for the price. If you fork over an extra $250 for the separately-sold 3-D Scanner Pro, you can make low-res 3-D clones of every object in your home.

Jay Rogers is the founder and CEO of Local Motors, a company focused on low-volume manufacturing of open source motor vehicles designed using micro-factories. Local Motors produces its own vehicles, including the Strati, the world's first 3-D printed electric car, and the Olli, and autonomous, electric powered bus. Rogers has entrepreneurship in his DNA. His grandfather was an entrepreneur from whom Rogers drew inspiration. He headed down an academic and professional route that seemed appropriate for a future entrepreneur, having graduated from Princeton and Harvard Business School, and having spent time in consulting and in banking.

In all likelihood, 3-D printing will forever remain a niche thing. But if you or your kid happen to reside in that niche, making your own stuff has become crazy accessible. Much of the reason is software: Microsoft's Paint 3-D app in the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update makes designing 3-D objects super simple, and kids can even print out their own Minecraft creations. But the hardware is following suit, as 3-D printers are now much cheaper and easier to use. For less than $300, you can now buy a capable and beginner-friendly 3-D printer.

With every step we advance in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), it seems we can't help but ask, "Is this something that will bring us closer to'Westworld?'" Since it premiered last year, HBO's hit sci-fi series has become the mainstream benchmark for AI systems. In the show's fictional world, robots can think and function like humans, and they are nearly indistinguishable from their human counterparts. It has created this sense of wonder at what's possible given today's quickly advancing technology. However, it has also reinforced how very far we still have to go before we can create AIs with the same level of sophistication. Taken at face value, we know "Westworld" hosts are incredibly advanced AIs that probably have some sort of deep learning mechanism that allows them to quickly respond to their environments.

Technology has long been considered a resource-liberating mechanism, granting us better access to resources like information, food and energy. Yet what is often overlooked is the revolutionary impact technology can have on our ability to create art. Many artists are reacting to a world of accelerating change and rapid digitization through their work. Emerging artistic mediums like 3D printing, virtual reality and artificial intelligence are providing artists with unprecedented forms of self-expression. Many are also embracing the rise of intelligent machines and leveraging the man-machine symbiosis to create increasingly powerful works of art.