One of the 3-D printers at work in the Mediated Matter group at the MIT Media Lab. Credit: MIT Melanie Gonick View full size image

NEW YORK — The DIY enthusiasts involved in today's "maker movement" love experimenting with 3D printers to turn digital designs into real-life objects made of plastic, metal, even chocolate. But one of the leading do-it-yourself pioneers has come forth to explain why he really dislikes the 3D printing craze and sees it as just a steppingstone to something greater.

Modern 3D printers use lasers or squirt hot materials to build objects layer by layer from a computer design. They represent the latest in a long line of computer-controlled tools dating back to the 1950s — a more refined way of "metal bashing metal, squirt squirt," said Neil Gershenfeld, director of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms.

"The real revolution in digital fabrication isn't a computer connected to a machine — that's decades old," Gershenfeld said. Instead, the revolution would be "putting the information into the material itself."

The road to "Star Trek"

Computer-controlled machines marked the first stage of "a road map to a "Star Trek" replicator where you make molecular assemblers that can make anything," Gershenfeld explained at the World Science Festival's "Innovation Square" event June 2 in Brooklyn.

The second stage, he said, involved machines making machines. The third stage has computer codes serving as a blueprint for real-world materials made from building-block components.

But Gershenfeld wants to reach the fourth and final stage: programming materials to make them intelligent. Imagine smart plastic or metal parts with the capabilities of DNA.

"The last stage is we're actually making materials that themselves are programmable so that the materials can change shape in the same way biology does it, but we're doing it with materials that biology can't do," Gershenfeld said.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist has done much toward making that DIY future a reality. He founded the global Fab Lab network with field labs in locations such as Afghanistan and the Arctic Circle. He also owns "just about every known 3D printer" as head of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms (a spinoff of the university's popular Media Lab). [US Ready to Bet $60 Million on 3D Printing]

What's wrong with DIY

Gershenfeld had more on his mind than the limitations of 3D printing — he also took the opportunity to critique the do-it-yourself movement. "I love the maker movement," Gershenfeld told the World Science Festival audience. "What I want to do is talk about what's wrong with it."

DIY enthusiasts could do better in learning from the past without rediscovering bad ways to solve problems, Gershenfeld said. He wants people to look beyond basic tools such as the popular Arduino microcontrollers that serve as tiny computers — he pointed out that the Arduinos use an Atmel AVR processor that exists separately in many cheaper varieties.

But the popularity of imperfect tools such as 3D printers or Arduinos can still do well for the DIY movement if they spur enthusiasm among more people. "I'm a big fan of bad standards at the right time," Gershenfeld said.

Making a better reality

So can the world combine the maker movement's enthusiasm with a smarter blueprint for getting things done? Gershenfeld's Fab Lab network has come up with a Fab Academy program to teach students around the world in work groups with mentors. Rather than just DIY, it's do-it-together.

Similar approaches already exist in universities including MIT, but Gershenfeld hopes to scale the learning opportunity up beyond just a few thousand MIT students. That is where long-distance learning through online education can combine with real-world teams of students and mentors.

"What's wrong with DIY is if you do it by yourself, it's easy to do dumb things," Gershenfeld said. "If you learn with other people, you can do it better. A place like MIT is organized but it doesn't scale. We want to scale to a few billion people on the planet and harness the enthusiasm of the maker movement, but don't want to reinvent dumb things."

为什么DIY爱好者不喜欢3D打印技术-全民造物运动

一个在介导的物质组中工作，在麻省理工学院媒体实验室的3-D打印机。

纽约 - 参与了今天的“壶运动”爱的DIY爱好者的3D打印机尝试把数字设计成由塑料，金属，甚至巧克力现实生活中的对象。但领先的做自己动手先驱之一已经出来解释为什么他真的不喜欢的3D打印的热潮，并把它看作只是一个跳板，以更大的事物。

现代的3D打印机用激光或喷射热材料由层从电脑设计到构建对象层。它们代表了最新的计算机控制的工具，其历史可以追溯到20世纪50年代很长的线 - 一个更精致的方式“金属扑金属，水枪喷射，”尼尔·格申费尔德，麻省理工学院的中心主任比特和原子说。

“在数字化制造真正的革命是没有连接到一台机器一台电脑 - 这是几十年的历史，”哲申费尔德说。取而代之的是，转将是“把信息转换材料本身”。

该路为“星际迷航”
电脑控制的机器，标志着第一阶段“的路线图是”星际迷航“复制器，你做的分子组装机，可以做什么，”格申费尔德在世界科学节的“创新广场”活动6月2日解释在布鲁克林。

第二阶段，他说，涉及机械制造机器。第三阶段都有作为蓝本，从积木式元件制作真实世界的材料，计算机代码。

但格申费尔德想要达到第四和最后阶段：编程材料，使它们的智能。想象智能塑料或金属部件与DNA的能力。

“最后阶段我们实际上使材料本身是可编程的，从而使物料能以同样的方式生物学改变形状做的，但我们正在做的材料是生物可不行，”哲申费尔德说。

技术物理学家在麻省理工学院做了许多朝着使这一DIY的未来成为现实。他创立了全球晶圆厂实验室网络与现场实验室在诸如阿富汗和北极圈的位置。他还拥有“几乎所有知名的3D打印机”作为头麻省理工学院的中心比特和原子（该大学的流行的媒体实验室的分拆）。 [美国准备下注$ 6000万美元的3D打印]

有什么不好DIY
格申费尔德有更多的在他的头脑比3D打印的局限性 - 他也借机批判的做它自己的运动。 “我爱的制造者运动，”格申费尔德告诉世界科学节的观众。 “我想要做的就是谈什么不妥的地方。”
DIY爱好者可以从过去学习，而不重新发现坏的方式来解决问题做的更好，哲申费尔德说。他希望人们把目光基本工具，如充当微小的电脑流行的Arduino微控制器 - 他指出，Arduinos使用爱特梅尔AVR处理器单独存在于许多便宜的品种。

但不完善的工具，如3D打印机或Arduinos的普及仍然可以做很好的DIY运动，如果他们推动中越来越多的人的热情。 “我是坏的标准在合适的时间的忠实粉丝，”哲申费尔德说。
制作一个更好的现实

因此，可以在世界结合起来，制造商运动的热情与做事情一个更聪明的蓝图？格申费尔德的晶圆厂实验室网络已经想出了一个晶圆厂学院计划，教导世界各地的学生工作组，指导。而不仅仅是DIY，这是做它在一起。

类似的方法已经存在于大学，包括麻省理工学院，但格申费尔德希望扩大学习机会了不仅仅是几千麻省理工学院的学生。这就是通过网络教育的远程教育可以与学生和导师的真实世界的团队组合。

“如果你自己来做，很容易做愚蠢的事有什么不好DIY是，”哲申费尔德说。 “如果你学会与其他人，你可以做的更好。像MIT的地方组织，但它并没有形成规模。我们希望扩展到数十亿人在这个星球上，并利用制造者运动的热情，但不要'吨要重塑愚蠢的事情。“