15 THE NEXT... FACTORIES
3D PRINTERS

NEED SOMETHING to amuse the kids or beef up your business? For the last few years, additive manufacturing (AM) machines – or 3D printers – have been turning blobs of plastic into almost any shape. Now, thanks to open-source hardware designs and energetic hobbyists, these machines are being used to fabricate everything from sneakers to iPhone docks, and are making their way into the offices of designers, architects and researchers.

According to a recent survey by Wohlers Associates, AM will represent 35.9% of business in five years, reaching more than 50% in 10 years. Already, the impact is being felt. US shoe giant Timberland claims it used to take a week to turn a new sole design into a model, at a cost of around €800. Using a 3D printer from Massachusetts-based Z Corp, it has cut the time to 90 minutes and the cost to €25. Current 3D printers use a variety of technologies and range from around €500 to more than €750,000; companies such as Makerbot and RepRap sell €500 printers for making toys and novelties, which fans say is like having China on your desktop. Since launching in April, Makerbot has sold more than 350 printers.

The technology is also creating new business models. Dutch firm Shapeways lets users upload designs, choose a material and get a quote, before 3D-printing the design and shipping it to the customer. Some hospitals have started using 3D printing to produce custom-made parts for reconstructive surgery. But of course there are always those vital cake ornaments and moulded cartoon characters.

16 THE NEXT... CHART TOPPER
DIGI-MAPPING

YOU MIGHT have a GPS in your car, but digital mapping on a smartphone will soon reach a critical mass. Already, both TomTom and Navigon have released apps for finding directions to your next business meeting and avoiding traffic delays, all on the same device you use to check your email and surf the web. Microsoft Bing and Google Maps, meanwhile, continue to ramp up services.

Next year, digital mapping will expand to offer location awareness for nearby people and things, such as person-alised services that exclude points-of-interest, such as coffee shops when you are more of a pizza-and-soda connoisseur. The real advantage of these services is in using a single, internet-enabled device and low-cost models for apps.

“While handset-based navigation has been available for a while with major carriers, uptake has remained disappointing due to small phone screens and the reluctance of end-users to pay recurring fees,” says Dominique Bonte, practice director for telematics and navigation at ABI Research. “These barriers are now being addressed by the growing number of on-board navigation solutions for a one-offfee on next-gen smartphones with large touch screens.” Navigon CEO Egon Minar adds: “With GPS receivers, bigger screens and higher processing capabilities, smartphones are a great platform for navigation. The ability to connect to the internet with a phone offers potential for location-based services, offering real-time information.”

17 THE NEXT... E-TAIL DETAIL|
ONE ID

SICK TO death of filling out myriad online forms only to forget a rarely used password when you come to buy the goods? A solution is at hand, brokered by the UN-sponsored International Telecommunication Union, the body for global communication technology standards. ITU spokesman Toby Johnson says that a broad formula for a “coherent and single global certification standard” was agreed in September between commercially backed ICT groups such as Liberty Alliance and Open ID. It may mean that soon your internet provider or domain name registrar will offer you the chance to record your computer once on a global register, enabling you to shop until you drop, without dreaded ID forms stalling your spending.