Have you ever thought of an object
and said “Gee whiz… I wish that I could make that?” With the new technology of 3D printing, you can! The way it works is a machine will take
an image or a design and print it out, layer by layer, in material instead of just
an image of it. Some machines can
produce layers as small 16 micrometers (almost the size of a bacteria cell), so
when using molecules or cells as “ink”, we can make medicines or bio ink which
can replace tissue or create entire organs from scratch (ASAPScience) as well
as making hardware or models. These
printers, although upwards of $1,300 in price, are becoming more widely
available in schools (the University of Michigan has four of them) and in
production of goods, so where does the science end and the opinion start?
A
controversial points come from whether people will use these printers to steal
intellectual property and whether bio-printing of organs from nonhuman
materials is right to do. Will the government step in to unsuccessfully stop people
from printing objects that they did not create? Will there be religious debates as to whether we should be
“playing God” with organs? Most of
the 3D printing has been contained so far with China printing a kidney that
lasted 4 months and the US treating burn victim, but with more use, these
issues will come up as an ethical debate.
In my opinion, we should proceed
thorough these debates in the ways that we have with cloning or burning songs
illegally. There should be legal
restraints on where you can purchase the machines for use to stop illegal
copying and for the sake of saving people’s lives due to accidents, we should
allow safe printing of organs or other bio-products. The scientific evidence for medical purposes comes from the
facts that it is safer for the body to replace organs similar to the ones it
had already and these can be made here, although sometimes the use of nonhuman
materials may be harmful.
Sources: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD2Rdeo8vuE
• http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/michigan-3d-lab-blurs-the-lines-between-virtual-and-reality/
By: Lauren Klemz
Hey Lauren, I liked your post a lot and I think that the ethics of 3-D printing are an important issue when we talk about this incredible new scientific device. I agree that if these printers become commonplace in our world that we will definitely need to have legal constraints on what can and cannot be printed. I think another issue worth noting would be the fact that people would be able to use these printers to create their own guns and bullets. In a world that has faced some extremely saddening tragedies as of the last decade or two, how might the world change if a person no longer needed to be approved to buy a gun, or even need to have a license, but could simply use a 3-D printer to create any type of gun they wanted. These printers bring up all sorts of issues that may need to be addressed in the near future, as it is possible that these printers could become commonplace in the not too distant future.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting post. I like how you focus on the ethical side of 3D printing as it seems like most people avoid that part of the topic. One thing that amazes me is how fast this technology is becoming relevant to our daily lives. On top of the technologies that you mentioned above, 3D printing is also posing to become a major player in the construction industry and is actually already being used to construct full buildings. This also brings up an ethical debate of sorts. If the technology exists to replace human construction workers, should we do it? If a building constructed in this manner fails to hold up as expected, who is responsible for that failure? (The printer manufacturer, those that operated the printer, or those that manufactured the printing materials). Hopefully some of these questions will be answered in the coming years as this technology becomes a more normal part of everyday life.
ReplyDeleteThis is really fascinating. I'm left wondering what kind of access the public will have to this kind of technology, if any. This sounds very complex and, to be frank, a bit dangerous in the wrong hands. I don't know if we can use the same techniques for regulation as we do for illegal music downloading because this technology has the capability of creating organs. In the wrong hands, this kind of power could start alluding toward Frankenstein. In a way, however, our ethical problem is the same as his; we don't know the full extent of this technology's capabilities, so making it available to the general public with loose restrictions could result in dangerous abuse. However, this printer sounds incredibly helpful for those in the medical field. Speaking as someone with family who has benefited from skin grafts and organ transplants, I'm excited to see where this will go.
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting, I had no clue that technology had advanced this far! the fact that people can print organs really scare me. If this type of machinery leaks onto the black market, it will be complete chaos. I feel like the death rate would increase due to people going to unlicensed doctors who print organs and proceed forward with illegal treatment. I still think this is really cool but dangerous. What all could be printed out with this? would it be fully functional? Ethics is a major concern in this issue. I had no clue that umich had these printers. Where are they located on campus? Does it cost to use these printers?
ReplyDelete3-D printing definitely has numerous advantages because the technology is so versatile. Not only can it print material similar to human tissue and metals, but it can also print foods that are first liquid and then becomes sold (i.e. chocolate). The 3-D printers have manufacturing capabilities that other machines cannot do because it technically creates the object from the bottom up, instead of putting pieces together. I agree that it poses a threat on intellectual property because there are infinitely more things that you can copy now with a 3-D printer. When we discussed this problem in another class, one of the interesting solutions that came up was that the way our society operates just has to change overall in order to adjust to the changing technology. Right now, the idea is to purchase intellectual property directly from the owner, but if we created partnerships between technology and intellectual property, then the idea is that the price you pay for the 3-D printer already pays for the intellectual property that you are going to print in the future. We can also approach this problem by limiting internally (within the machine system) what the printer will be able to print. Aside from this though, I have to say that these printers could virtually grant you access to any object, either beneficial or harmful, so we have to really weigh risks, costs, and benefits.
ReplyDelete3D printing could be really dangerous for the future, the more advanced the process gets and the more durable the materials. For now, people are making plastic screws and circuits and it's no big deal. But in the future, when we can 3D print metal, people could 3D print guns, which would cause an outburst of anti-gun movements. Gun-control measures would go through the roof causing an even sharper divide between the two sides of this argument. For now, 3D printing is harmless, interesting, and a fun hobby, but in the future it could cause to sharp political divides and arguments.
ReplyDeleteMitch Joa
From the scientific perspective, 3D printing is amazing, Scientists are researching how to grow cells or organs that could be transplanted to help humans and animals. This could be helpful for amputees or those with bad hearts or lungs. If 3d printing becomes a precise science, it's powers will have to be regulated. I don't even want to think about black market 3d printed livers. The major controversy with this subject is whether humans should be using technology in this way, "playing God."
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, if 3D printing is regulated and proven to hold no detrimental side effects, this technology will be helpful in aiding the future of human life.
In my opinion 3D printing is one of the most fascinating technological advances in the past decade. I first heard about them on an episode of the popular show The Big Bang Theory and have been wanting to know more ever since. I had no idea that a 3D printer could create something as complex as an organ and while I understand the ethical debate I believe that this technology can do much more good than harm. In the next couple of years a 3D printer may save lives which makes the advancement of this technology even more important. Furthermore I believe that the 3D printer will continue like most technologies to decrease in price, making this technology more available to everyone.
ReplyDelete3D printing, if used properly, can definitely benefit many. For example, it can encourage investors, and entrepreneurs, as producing objects would be much easier. This rise in creative ideas can advance the world forward more quickly than before. However, I think this technology does a lot of harm too. For example, how can we restrict what people can make or cannot make? Criminals could use 3D printers to make weapons secretly, for example. It is therefore a challenge to maximize the benefits of technologies such as these, but limit its dangers.
ReplyDelete