3D Printing and the Amazing World of Hod Lipson

3D Printing has been termed the “harbinger of the Third Industrial Revolution.” Professor Hod Lipson of Cornell University takes us on an amazing journey through the brave new world of this game-changing technology, in this video produced by TV Ontario as part of their series Big Ideas.

In a series of articles published in April, 2012, The Economist magazine reviewed the enormous potential of technological advances that have been made in the field of 3D printing, known alternatively as “additive manufacturing,” “digital manufacturing” and “rapid prototyping.” Its impact upon manufacturing, supply chain, and product design methodologies could be so great, argues The Economist, that it promises to usher in a Third Industrial Revolution. Find the link to the series by The Economist by clicking here…

While the concept has been around for decades, we are only now beginning to discover its practically limitless potential for application. Professor Hod Lipson is at the leading edge of exploration of this exciting new frontier.

Hod Lipson is a robotics engineer, who joined the faculty of Cornell University in 2001. After receiving his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 1998 from Technion Israel Institute of Technology,  he became a postdoctoral researcher at Brandeis University’s Computer Science Department and lectured at MIT’s Mechanical Engineering Department. Lipson is currently the Director of the Creative Machines Lab (CCML) at Cornell. Lipson’s work focuses on evolutionary robotics, design automation, rapid prototyping, artificial life, and creating machines that can demonstrate some aspects of human creativity.

What follows is a fascinating video, where Lipson explains what 3D printing is all about, and describes his quest to enable printable, intelligent robots. He proceeds to show us, in vivid detail, the astounding potential inherent within this technology with respect to improving the human condition: he describes applications which range from developing custom prostheses to fabrication of pathologies to help surgeons practice methods without having to use cadavers, to rapid prototyping of bones, to printing lives cells where new meniscus can be manufactured to replace damaged cartilage.

The video was produced by TVO (TV Ontario) in Canada, which is a publicly-funded media outlet similar to PBS in the USA. TVO produces a wonderful series called Big Ideas. Lipson’s lecture is one of this series, which I think is ideal for sharing with students and faculty from High School to College and University levels.

TVO’s web site can be accessed by clicking here…

Please enjoy and share with students, colleagues, and friends!

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