Shoes, clothes and furniture could be created with a printer that outputs 3D objects in the future.
The innovative process, known as rapid prototyping, will allow users to download bespoke designs for items like chairs and print them off at home.
Currently being developed by design and research company Freedom of Creation, the technology is a massive leap forward for the retail and shopping sector.
Janne Kyttanen, founder of the company said: “Imagine the potential of this for the fashion industry. I can measure your body, in 3D, and I can make you perfectly fitting garments in the future without any sewing and stitching, making the needle and the thread obsolete”.
A new technology called RepRap, short for Replicating Rapid Prototyping, is also being developed, which may be able to make copies of objects, including itself, in a speedy and useful fashion.
Technology lover David Flanders who has been experimenting with the RepRap machine explained its potential uses: “Imagine I print you a shoe. Your child grows, as they do. You take that shoe, you throw it back in the shredder – the shredder then processes the plastic. You scale up your design 0.3% and you’ve got your child’s next shoe. That’s the type of imaginative excitement that we really are talking about”.
The developing world is one of the key areas where this new device could be utilised to best effect. Essential tools, footwear and clothing could be created easily for the locals and residents who have restricted access to stores and little in the way of monetary resources.
