File-sharing site
The Pirate Bay caused an Internet stir last week when it introduced a new content category called "Physibles," essentially designed to allow people to
pass one another physical objects for download. The term refers to data files that are actually able to become physical objects via
3D printing technology.
Before long, The Pirate Bay said in a blog post, "you will print the spare parts for your vehicles.”
Some saw the announcement as an overhyped publicity stunt. Others saw a powerful revolution of how humans acquire essential goods. But one expert
Mashable spoke with this week said that 3D printing is indeed bound for the mainstream -- and even sooner than The Pirate Bay might think.
"If you want to draw that parallel, we are kind of in the early 1980s of the computer industry right now, when it was just moving from mainframes into home computers," said
Hod Lipson, a Cornell University associate professor of both Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Computing & Information Science.
"I see a big future for 3D printers in personal-scale applications that will unfold over the next decade."