“This is like the birth of the Internet, but it’s literally an internet of things. It’s an internet where data becomes things and things become data. And we’re seeing the births of entirely new businesses where you go to market by shipping data and you produce on-demand where you consume.”
90.9 WBUR Here and Now
Neil Gershenfeld runs MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms and teaches the class “How to Make Almost Anything.” His students’ past projects include a dress that defends the wearer’s personal space; an alarm clock you have to wrestle with in order to convince it you’re awake; and a web browser for parrots.
From that class came a new idea: a kit he calls a fab lab — a collection of about 10 tools, including a 3D printer, computer-controlled lasers and milling machines. Individuals can use the fab lab to make “almost anything.”