Fabricated is one of those books that set you thinking whether you want it or not. Throughout the book, my perception of the possibilities 3-D printing was ranging from skepticism and utter disbelief to incomprehension as to why we have not yet been using this amazing technology to its full potential. At times I caught myself brainstorming involuntarily about the applications of 3-D printing that would solve so many of our problems: starvation, housing, lack of resources, etc.
After reading the book, I definitely have a better understanding of different types of 3-D printers and how they work, although some of the material was exceedingly technical to my taste. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the authors’ sense of humor and the stories of their personal experience with 3-D printing.
Some of the issues raised in the book are undoubtedly controversial, such as printing human organs, the meaning of 3-D printers for our environment in terms of the increasing amount of plastic consumed, and the possible necessity to redefine the law in order to reflect new reality. I am also not sure how the phrase “3-D printed food” makes me feel. On the one hand, it is great to be able to control one’s diabetes and cholesterol levels. On the other hand, I cannot say that I fully understand how 3-D processed food would affect human body. Is it another way to artificially modify food similar to GM foods or can it actually be healthy?
All in all, the book has definitely produced an extremely powerful impression upon me and led to a number of heated discussions with friends and family about the role of 3-D printers in our everyday lives as well as what the future beholds for them.
