4. 3D Printing Goes Mainstream
We all got very excited about 3D printing when it was brought to the masses a few years ago, but 2016 could be the year when we really see what it can do. Moving on from the brightly coloured doodads and gadgets that were the mainstay of 3D printing peacocking, it has found its home in much more serious disciplines such as medicine. We're already using it to make affordable, bespoke prosthetics and implants, and we've even
given the traditional cast an upgrade. We're at the point now of moving away from the plastic fantastic nature of 3D printing now, as scientists in China have managed to print a bone
that is made of real bone. Not only does this make them biodegradable (meaning that future archaeologists won't just be digging up little piles of plastic), but it allows them to integrate almost seamlessly with the body as natural tissues grow around them. As well as this, some geniuses have managed to develop
a 3D printer that prints drugs. It looks like we're only just beginning to find out what this technology can do.
