The Metaverse, Second Life and 3d Printers/home fabrication

With the advent of services such as fabjectory and now having come across this fab@home on the rebang blog it would seem we are beginning to get the glimmers of where all this Second Life and metaverse technology may take us.
What was holding back home fabrication was a way to create and distrubute 3d models suitable for home fabrication. We previously had also been lacking the social, open source, user created content skills and acceptance of this being a way to work. Now we have the collision of both, Second Life an ability to share and experience 3d models, and easier ways to build in 3d and then eaiser ways to fabricate.
There may be environmental reasons to home fabricate, or at least local area fabrication. Whilst the fabrication materials have to be shipped to the point of use they must travel much more efficiently that odd shaped products on a lorry. Consumers also have to travel less distance in order to receive their product. True the fabrication units are using electricity and chemicals, but I am sure that a trade off and carbon footprint can be established and measured for this.
If nothing else we are learning to all be both consumers and providers of service. Its very “Long Tail” to consider selling specialized things, one or two in a run to customers who really want the widget.
If nothing else the need to hold products, to feel form factor and to have an increased attachment to the experience whether in Second Life or Real Life will drive this to a commercial size proposition.
I would love Yossarian’s Hursley House printed out on my desk.
Hursley house
I really want my custom Reeboks from SL in RL.
reebok
All images from Snapzilla

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About epredator

Director of metaverse and emerging tech consultancy http://www.feedingedge.co.uk Former IBM Consulting IT Specialist with 18 years at the company Games player epredator xbox live tag. epredator potato in second life

4 thoughts on “The Metaverse, Second Life and 3d Printers/home fabrication

  1. Snowcrash is the book that is most often referenced in association with SecondLife and other virtual worlds. What you’re referring too is more along the lines of Neal Stephenson’s “Diamond Age”, where home fabricators are commonplace and being on welfare means having to deal with the slow trickle of available matter from the public pipe system.

    Also, I’d suggest that there is a current booming home fabrication industry: printing.

    It’s 2d, but I think fits the same model. You create something from scratch or download text, put it together how you like and then hit a button and your “print fabricator” takes the constituent materials, combines them in the way you specified and outputs your manuscript.

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  3. You also don’t need to deal with blue collar labor, which may be an upside – but could also be a serious down side.

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