Why have drones deliver when you could just 3D print something?

think on this.

you want a ceramic vase, a paperback book, and an action figure doll that looks a lot like your twelve year old daughter.

the action figure doll would be printable. maybe 20 articulated parts... just resin and the machine... then maybe a quick acetone vapor bath bath to smooth it up a bit, and a paint job using another machine. so three stages... printing, smoothing, painting... with only two of the stages smelly or caustic.

Next, lets do the ceramic vase. 3d printer with clay, big old vat of slip, to feed the printer, keep it wet, keep it pliable, print the vase... next clean it up a bit with a quick washcloth, then harden it up with microwaves before dipping it into a good glaze. let it dry, then pop it overnight into the kiln.... Hmm, four stages, not too many dangerous chemicals, but the room that process is done in is going to end up with a layer of dried clay coating everything. Not to mention... gotta have a kiln.

Paperback book. easy, just need a printer that can do some binding and collating. they make those already... a good one that can print a book on demand is only the size of a fridge, but you still need to buy the paper and ink. probably the least messy and most reliable of the mix.

So you CAN make all these things yourself, as a dedicated hobbyist who can handle second and third stage processes, and who has entire rooms in their home to handle the necessities...

or you can have them delivered from a dedicated store in town that specializes in a particular range of goods.

One store does books, maybe another one does ceramics. Not to mention things made out of metal, or faux leather, or glass maybe some do complicated things like cars or appliances or robots.

/r/Futurology Thread