In 1784, the human race began the very first industrial revolution. We introduced steam, water and mechanical production equipment into our lives that heavily changed the human landscape.
We started to develop machines to do things for us, we harnessed the power of steam engines, and we utilised the technology we had to further ourselves. In 1870, a second revolution happened. We divided labour, utilised electricity and began to mass produce products instead of making single products at a time.
Come 1969, our knowledge as a collective race on electronics and information technology has expanded and we underwent a third industrial revolution—the one we are currently in. Automated production and efficiency became words that echoed throughout every industry, and everything from agriculture to entertainment started to use electronics and IT. Thus, the digital age was born and we found more uses for electricity than we ever could’ve fathomed back in the late 1800s.
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For instance, when smartphones were introduced no one could have anticipated that there would be an app for almost everything. A few years ago, app stores across both the iOS and Android platforms only had a couple hundred apps available. Early adopters were quick to jump on the smartphone bandwagon to establish themselves as dominating forces that have lasted to even today. However, fast forward to the present day and there are roughly 2.2 million apps across both stores with roughly 50 billion downloads total—those are serious numbers.
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It’s important that if you want to be prepared for a new technological revolution, much like the introduction of the smartphone, that you read up on these technologies and possibly adopt an early version of the hardware or machines.
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Offices and businesses are also making use of 3D printing. Much like how a Smartphone is essential for business, sooner or later a 3D printer will be next to traditional printers in terms of usefulness. For example, you could print out desk tidies, mounts for cameras or devices and even cable sleeves for important devices. The possibilities are endless, and we’re only scratching the surface of this exciting new technology.
The Next Revolution In 3D Printing? 3D Metal Printing