Read this one on the accelerating genius of 3D printing – scanning things digitally then making speedy fast models in new robust materials and at stunning speed. Including for gnashers:

It’s pretty intuitive to apply this technology to the automotive and aerospace industries, and jewelry has always been a big market. But one of the most exciting areas is actually dental fabrication.

You might already have a crown that was built by a 3D Printer. Five years ago, that crown would have been made by hand—hand-sanded and hand-created. This technology is taking over that task. Now you go to the dentist, and you don’t bite into the clay anymore to make a mold of your mouth. Your dentist just wands your mouth with the 3M wand and makes a digital file of your mouth. It happens instantly, and then the dentist teleports that CAD file and has the implant at his office the next day.

And, of course, it’s getting exponentially cheaper:

Six years ago the cheapest machine out there was $30,000, but most were $100,000. Today you can get a capable 3D Printer for around $1,299, which launched at the Consumer Electronics Show this year. At that price, the marketplace opens up to individuals like us. It could be as soon as three years from now that people will have a 3D Printer at home to make toys, napkin holders, curtain rings, and whatever is needed. That’s why 3D Printing is so interesting. It’s not just tied up in the engineering world any more…

How can government hope to keep up with this sort of thing by even beginning to frame rules for it? Hundreds of years of laws on copying are about to get wiped out? And be replaced by … nothing but cheery (or not so cheery) chaos?