When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D ...
In the near future, flexible displays in pliable plastic coatings could be found most anywhere — on refrigerators, wallpaper, furniture, or even sewn into shirt cuffs — thanks to recent developments in technology.
Jon Swartz w
rites in USA TODAY that the promise of unbreakable, non-glass displays has researchers and companies hoping to cash in on a huge emerging market. Sales for flexible displays are expected to reach $8.2 billion in 2018, up from $85 million in 2008, according to Jennifer Colegrove, an analyst at NPD display research.
rites in USA TODAY that the promise of unbreakable, non-glass displays has researchers and companies hoping to cash in on a huge emerging market. Sales for flexible displays are expected to reach $8.2 billion in 2018, up from $85 million in 2008, according to Jennifer Colegrove, an analyst at NPD display research.
“It’s the wild world of flexible-display possibilities,” says Jeff Demain, the lead strategic researcher at Intel labs‘ Circuits and Systems. “Within five years, every surface becomes a display.”
Because of their pliable nature, the displays could go on newspapers, car dashboards, sides of buildings, coffee mugs, and backpacks. Consumers might like to bend or fold devices from out of their phone, rather than carry a laptop, says Bob O’Donnell, an analyst at market researcher IDC.
Hewlett-Packard is developing prototypes so that soldiers can have a display sewn into their uniforms’ cuffs. They could function as a global positioning device, shortwave radio or field manual, helping the soldier avoid carrying heavy equipment.
Keeping the promise of this technology in check, however, is the difficulty in properly bending silicon-containing electronic components. Embedding the components into plastic, stainless steel, or glass makes the manufacturing process expensive, says Mark Fihn, publisher of Veritas, which publishes newsletters on the topic.
Nevertheless, analysts believe that the promise of the technology will just take some patience for it to be realized. “Not every surface will be a display, but it could be,” says Intel’s Demain. “There are no barriers.”
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