Emerging Technologies: an overview of some of the more cutting edge technologies such as 3D printing, Laser Surgery, Nanotechnology, Computational materials science etc…

3D Printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), refers to processes used to create a three-dimensional object in which layers of material are formed under computer control to create an object.[1] Objects can be of almost any shape or geometry and typically are produced using digital model data from a 3D model or another electronic data source such as an Additive Manufacturing File (AMF) file (usually in sequential layers).[2][3] There are seven basic families of technologies: vat photopolymerisation, material jetting, binder jetting, material extrusion, powder bed fusion, sheet lamination and directed energy deposition.[4]

Materials commonly used include thermoplastics, metals (such as titanium alloys), concrete and edibles like chocolate.[5]

In medicine, 3D printing is used in bone and tissue reconstruction in conjunction with synthetic biomaterials. In this case the polymer scaffolding is typically seeded with living cells to produce a fully functional transplantable tissue. Various projects have also been undertaken to develop 3D printed prosthetics.

There are many exciting new technologies emerging in the world today. Some of them will be very powerful and disruptive, and others will be overhyped, but all are worth being aware of. Here’s my personal list of some of the most exciting emerging technologies to watch out for in 2014.

1. 3D Printing: 3D printing has been around for a few years now, but it’s still pretty expensive to buy your own consumer-grade printer. I’ve seen some amazing things created with this technology. The consumer market for 3D printers is projected to grow by leaps and bounds this year, and we’re already starting to see some incredible applications for it.

2. Laser Surgery: Lasers have been used in surgery for many years now, but recently they’ve gotten much more powerful and useful as handheld tools for surgery on soft tissue such as skin and eyes. They are now also being used for cutting hard objects like bone, which will make surgery much less invasive than ever before.

3. Nanotechnology: This is a big one, and you’ve probably heard about it before. Nanotechnology is going to bring us tiny robots that can do all sorts of amazing things inside our bodies to fight disease or repair damage from accidents etc… It’s really not that

The next emerging technology that promises to shape our lives is 3D printing. This process uses a computer-generated design to build three-dimensional objects from a variety of materials. It was developed in the 1980s and has been mainly used for rapid prototyping, creating models of products to test their designs. But in the past decade, as the process has become faster and more affordable, 3D printers have been used by hobbyists, artists, designers and some manufacturers to create everything from car parts to toys, shoes and guns.

In medicine, 3D printers are used to make customised prosthetic limbs and body parts like ears and noses using biodegradable material. In the future they could potentially be used to print replacement organs using biological material taken from patients’ own cells.

3D printers are also being used by researchers who are working on printing electronics onto paper or clothing. These so-called e-paper or e-textile technologies offer many possibilities: from smart packaging that tells you when food is going off; intelligent Band-Aids that release drugs over time; or perhaps even electronic paper that you can use as an interactive newspaper.

Another technology that will shape our lives in the years ahead is laser surgery. Scary sounding but actually incredibly precise

Emerging technologies are technologies that are perceived as capable of changing the status quo. These technologies are generally new but include older technologies that are still controversial and relatively undeveloped in potential, such as preimplantation genetic diagnosis and gene therapy which date to 1989. Emerging technologies are characterized by radical novelty, relatively fast growth, coherence, prominent impact, and uncertainty and ambiguity.

The term is used to evoke a sense of awe and excitement at how these technological advances can improve the state of the world; however, along with its benefits comes a price tag of ethical challenges. Examples of emerging technologies include educational technology, information technology, nanotechnology, biotechnology, cognitive science, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

In the late 1990s, The National Science Foundation published a report titled “Emerging Technologies”, which listed nano- and biotechnologies as top emerging technologies for the early part of this century. In addition to general themes such as commercialization and economic competitiveness, green energy technology and life extension supplements were cited as examples among other emerging technologies.

One study identifies four key categories of emerging technology: materials; energy; IT-enabled systems; health care/biosciences.

Emerging technologies are technologies that are perceived as capable of changing the status quo. These technologies are generally new, but include older technologies that are still controversial and relatively undeveloped in potential, such as preimplantation genetic diagnosis and gene therapy which date to 1989.

Emerging technologies are characterized by radical novelty (in application, functionality, or perception), relatively fast growth, coherence, prominent impact, and uncertainty and ambiguity. Its most prominent impact, however, lies in the future and so in the emergence phase is still somewhat uncertain and ambiguous. New technological fields may result from the technological convergence of different systems evolving towards similar goals. Convergence brings previously separate technologies such as voice (and telephony features), data (and productivity applications) and video together so that they share resources and interact with each other, creating new efficiencies.

New technology is often only available to a small percentage of the population who have sufficient capital resources to adopt it. And so widening participation becomes an issue for policy makers. While some emerging technologies such as 3D printing may offer solutions to this problem they may also create new ones by placing certain key manufacturing processes in the hands of individuals rather than large corporations.

Theories of technological convergence have been proposed by Howard Rheingold in his

Emerging technologies are those technical innovations which represent progressive developments within a field for competitive advantage. Emerging technologies are those technical innovations which represent progressive developments within a field for competitive advantage.

Examples of emerging technologies include: mobile interaction, autonomous vehicles, machine learning, and blockchain. These new emerging technologies can be very disruptive at times, but can also be extremely useful and profitable for new businesses.