Please RSVP Now: Is 3D Printing a Relevant Technology for Development?

October 29, 2014 Editor 0

IREX Tech Deep Dive – RSVP now

Just as the Internet changed the communications world in the 1990’s, 3D printing is set to change the physical world. We are already way beyond trinkets and keychains. Cheap 3D printers can create prosthetic arms, and even living ears and livers, not to mention metal parts worthy of aviation grade uses.

This new technology can revolutionize the way that we make products, by bringing the factory into the community and allowing computers and the Internet to become the new conduit for skills, innovation and creativity in manufacturing.

Or such is the promise of 3D printing in development. However, what is the reality? And how might it be applicable to the development context, where the poor are often the last ones to benefit from new technologies? Amidst the hype, there are serious questions to ponder:

• What are the 3D printing opportunities in developing economies?
• Where could 3D Printing be catalytic or transformational in development?
• Who is using it now? And what lessons are already learned?
• What funding and support is needed to develop a successful 3D printing program?
• How do we ensure that 3D printing value chains are inclusive, and communities can own their own 3D destiny?

Please RSVP now to join the next IREX Tech Deep Dive to explore the potential potential and pitfalls of 3D printing in development. To help us navigate where we are headed, we’ll have three thought leaders sharing their knowledge and opinions:

• Kate Gage, USAID Global Development Lab
• Nicholas Kerelchuk, Martin Luther King Library
• Matt Rogge, Tech for Trade

Please RSVP now to join this active, practical event. We’ll have an overview of the state of 3D printing and its usage across the development spectrum, a lively brainstorming on what the future of 3D printing might look like, and small teams creating frameworks for how to get us from the present to the future.

We’ll go from talk to action in just one morning!

We will have hot coffee and a catered breakfast for a morning rush, but seating is limited RSVP now, before its too late. Note that this event is in-person only, and RSVP is required to attend.

---

About IREX Tech Deep Dives

IREX Tech Deep Dives are an interactive discussion series on technology for development hosted by the Center for Collaborative Technologies at IREX in partnership with Kurante.

We convene small groups of established experts to have critical and substantive discussions on the application and impact of new and emerging technology solutions and their relevance to international development.

Participants will gain new insights on current technology trends and gain practical insights they can apply immediately, and over the long term. RSVP now to join us!

Go to Source. Reprinted from ICTWorks

Categories: ICT

Tags: 3D printing, Industrial design, Solid freeform fabrication