Author: Elizabeth

In previous posts, I’v spoken a lot about a type of manufacturing, an idea, or a product and how they have been affecting the business world. However, in this post, I’ll be speaking about something that concerns the typical citizen instead.

In my Engineering Design class at the beginning of the spring semester, my classmates and I were tasked with touring and speaking with the operators of “makerspaces” around campus. I had heard of these places before but didn’t realize how many there were–let alone how many people use them. After visiting three of these places, thinking about how nice it would be to have a workshop away from home (because nothing really creative can be done with a college budget and our small dorm rooms), I never used them once. Why is that? Well, let’s dive in to analyze this.

First of all, what is a makerspace? According to Makerspace.com, they describe them as, “A collaborative work space inside a school, library or separate public/private facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools.” There have different names for each of them over the years, but the core values of sharing equipment and/or materials in a collaborative space remains the same.

Here are some examples of different types of makerspaces:

Techshop:

• 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, hand tools etc
  
• Operated by a corporation

FabLab:

• 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, hand tools etc
• Operated by a charity foundation

Hakerspace:

• The original “makerspace” in 1995, located in Berlin, Germany
• Originally only used for computer enthusiasts to tear apart electronics and “hack” them for fun
• As equipment became less expensive, these spaces simply evolved into the makerspace

Of course, not all makerspaces need to be about the heavy duty working of laser cutters and lathes. They can be filled with sewing machine, hot glue guns, and be-dazzlers. Maybe you’re just feeling a bit hipster-y and want to do a big abstract painting on canvas with some fairy lights poking through. Makerspaces are here for just that–even if you don’t have a large easel or big paintbrushes (to make happy little accidents). If you check out this webpage and scroll down to the section labeled “Makerspace Projects,” you can find a list of about 30 definitions from renowned people in diverse industries who only speak highly of what a makerspace can do.

Going back to Penn State, here are some of the makerspaces that are free to use (to the best of my knowledge). However, most materials are not free in these locations (hot glue sticks or staples are provided typically).

Penn State Maker Commons,
The Makery,
The Make Space,
The Learning Factory,
Penn State 3D Printing Club,
Penn State FAME Lab,
The Made by Design Lab,
CIMP-3D,
Stuckeman Model Shop

So what does this mean for society? Well, the concept was rather difficult for me to understand at first, considering my background. I grew up in a small rural town with neighbors that lived more than a few acres away from me. My dad had a workshop in our home and simply stored all the projects he was working on in our garage or the basement. The tools he used were typically passed down from my late grandfather. For people that in live a city or even just a house that doesn’t allow for the space, doing a lot of the “handyman” projects that my dad loved to do every weekend simply isn’t possible. And they weren’t, not until makerspaces became much more popular.

So, to answer my question from before–why hadn’t I used one of these makerspaces myself since discovering their location in State College? It’s not like I didn’t ever get inspired to create something or have the need to sew a hole in one of my socks. Putting aside the fact that I’m a college student and therefore busy practically every day of the week, I have to chalk it up to the fact that they seem inconvenient. I’m used to getting a spark of inspiration and immediately acting on it while at home. Now I have to methodically go to the store, buy the exact materials, and then move time around to complete a project that might not even turn out exactly right.

But hey–maybe I’m just spoiled and most people think makerspaces are the way of the future. So what do you think? Are makerspaces too much a hassle or worth every cent of the community?

So far on this blog, I’ve spoken about 3D printing and internal communication for businesses, but of course the name of this blog is “Technology VS the Modern World”–and I think everyone would be disappointed if I didn’t speak a little on the widely popular and growing AI trend in the work force. There’s been quite a few famous pieces of fiction about some of the more dramatic issues associated with AI (*cough cough* like the hostile takeover of humanity). Nevertheless, let’s dive into the logistics of the AI of the future.

Ex Machina, I, Robot, and Blade Runner 2049 all use super advanced AIs to drive their plots, typically against the ruling, human class.

First off, the term artificial intelligence is rather vague, and–with the production of movies like the ones above– has become quite skewed in the public eye. ASME’s website interviews Andrew Ng,  the creator of the Google Brain project, who says, “The term artificial intelligence is used today as something of a catch-all for software that can train itself to perform certain tasks and to get better at those tasks over time.” Essentially, typical programming uses an input from a user and then calculates or preforms a very specific task. In AI, that programming instead analyzes data from a source (typically the internet or an internal database) and, given a task, will complete that task to the best of its ability.

According to Forbes Magazine, in 2016, the market for AI technologies was approximately $8 Billion but will grow to $72 Billion by 2021. To put that into perspective, that’s the equivalent of increasing by a quarter of a billion dollars every week. Wouldn’t that be nice for a paycheck!

The largest explanation of the need for AI technologies is simply the range of tasks that something like this can accomplish. From machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, speech recognition, robotics, optimization, rules-based systems,  planning & scheduling, and much more, AI has a foothold in virtually every business field (Business.com). In fact, most citizens use it on a daily basis. (Hint: Why don’t you Google it?)

On the topic of Google, check out this video about the running AI that Google created in 2017. With no programming other than the ability to sense the ground and given the command, get to point B, these models are completely running on their own.

One manufacturing application developed by Siemens actually deals with my last post: 3D modeling. According to the Forbes article describing it, “[The program] automatically reads and follows CAD instructions to build parts without programming.” So an engineer can type in a wrench with specific sizes, and the 3D part ready for printing will be automatically generated. Previously this could a task that could take anywhere from half a day to a full day and reduced to a few minutes of instructions. Crazy!

On that note, many companies of popular computer programs–like Photoshop or Office products–are using AI to build a more knowledgeable user base. How? Well, an AI analyzes help forums and threads online to learn biggest issues that their users encounter, and the goal is to have a text-enabled, updated regularly lists of trouble-shooting directly in the program. No more scouring chats for hours just for the one function you need to complete a specific task, now it’s automatically installed inside. See a more detailed description for how AutoDesk is implementing this here.

So I’ve talked a lot about how incredible this new AI will be for businesses and for people in general, but nothing is without its drawbacks. Even Steven Hawking, while he was alive, stated on the Larry King show, that “Humans and AI could co-exist, but a rogue AI could be difficult to stop without appropriate safeguards in place.”

Artificial intelligence is a technology; it’s not inherently good or evil. Like with most things, it’s intention and the owner of the tech is where danger and problems can occur. In the right hands and protected enough from the government, AI shouldn’t prove to be any of the apocalyptic ending of Hollywood’s The Matrix. However, (on top of the obvious lowering of job opportunities) AI uses logic to make decisions, some that are not cut and dry. There is grey area on most issues, and AI doesn’t have the emotional bias to choose between two equally horrible outcomes–like the class trolley problem. In fact, the topic of AI driven cars and how will it choose who to kill in event of an accident is something that is highly debated. (Check out Moral Machine, it’s an ongoing survey created by MIT to see the thoughts of citizens about this.)

Is artificial intelligence worth the risk of robotic overlords? Are Hollywood movies just ridiculous and AI is the path to a more efficient future? Tell me what you think!

3D printing is a fad that swept the “maker movement” to encourage young designers to create just about anything they can model. Using standard CAD (or Computer-Aided Drafting) programs, just about anybody can print their own nick knack for enjoyment or small projects. So what exactly is 3D Printing? According to 3DPrinting. com:

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created. Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object.

Essentially, a 3D printer can read a file (typically .stl) like this one:

3D Model World

and “print” it to the physical object by heating plastic (or whatever material) and super-cooling it as it moves around the model. It’s a relatively simple process, but the machinery and programming it takes to assemble and construct one of these is not so simple.

As far as expensive-wise, it really depends on what your printer needs to do. At home appliances can be as low as $200, but these only print objects up to a 200 mm cube. For a bigger duty printer, such as the ones used at large manufacturing plants to print metal parts and the like. (These can be larger than a person!) Unfortunately, as is with most technology, the price increases dramatically– up to and above $10,000. 3D Printing.com has a great filter and search to find exactly the printer that’s right for whatever job.

But what does 3D printing have to do with the business world? Well, more so for researching companies, 3D printers offer a quick, foolproof machining process for small or large parts. There’s no lost time to explain to a machinist exactly what to create from the drawing of an engineer; instead, the computer has exactly the code of what to create. In prototyping, this is extremely helpful for meeting time frames.

I mentioned there’s no communication with a machinist above, so on that same note, advanced 3D printers are making another job opportunities less available. Just as the progression of CAD gave the job of draftsman to engineers, 3D printers are taking up that role again. Although that does decrease costs for companies–and machining is not a hot-button career–people are finding it more difficult to learn the basics of machining by hand.

These pros and cons are discussed further in the Green Garage‘s article about improving 3D printing technology.

Although plastic is the definitive top usage for 3D printers, it’s not the only material being used. One application being researched, especially in light of the large number of patients on the organ donation waiting list, is printing organs and other tissues. In a special machine, mulitple nozzles deposit “bioink” as it has been coined of organ-specific, blood vessels, muscle tissue, etc to create an inorganically made organic organ. (How’s that for a tongue twister?) According to C. Lee Ventola’s article about this topic, he says, “Although tissue and organ bioprinting is still in its infancy, many studies have provided proof of concept. Researchers have used 3D printers to create a knee meniscus, heart valve, spinal disk, other types of cartilage and bone, and an artificial ear.” Now this article was also published in 2014, so much more has been accomplished since then.

BioSpectrum

So why are people against 3D printing? First of all, the question of how this effects the environment is very important. 3D printers can use up to 50 to 100 times more electrical power than the most common alternative method, according to  MIT’s Environmentally Benign Manufacturing. Although one or two uses for a highly complex part in prototyping is not difficult, large scale manufacturing may be off the table. On top of that, the reliance on plastics is very concerning. Excess plastic is non-biodegradable, and with the movement to clean up landfills, 3D printing may not be the way.

So what do you think? Is 3D printing the way of the future for manufacturing? Or is it a fad to be used in classrooms or researching firms?

When I first came to college, one of the first things I was asked (and then told) to do included creating a Group Me account. It was an essential, from my orientation group to my dorm floor to clubs, offering reminders and updates on the happenings around campus. I then needed to download Slack for another club, and then of course I had to manage Outlook for my PSU account. Case and point? There’s a lot of internal communication that goes on with any organization.

Email–one the first purely digital communication platforms–has seen major upgrades since its major break-through with commercial internet around 1995, but since then, the only progress has been with increased internet speeds and cleaner interfaces. With over 3.8 billion email users in 2018 and an estimated 4.2 billion by 2022, email remains as one of the largest interconnected communication means in history (Radicati). (To put it in perspective, 4.2 billion users is almost half of the world’s population).

With all the convenience of email, companies seem to agree that it is not the most effective communication. The ever-annoying spam emails crowd inboxes, making the more important and urgent messages hidden away by a wall of words. On top of that, scamming emails get past our firewalls, disguising a virus as an attachment for an important document. All in all, email is still useful for formalities, but organizations have need of the quick alerts and messaging typical of social media today.

1. Skype

First created in 2003, Skype is a video conferencing platform across any kind of device equipped with a camera. For those without an iPhone with FaceTime, Skype was the go-to video conferencing application. In 2015, Skype introduced a closed circuit for professional users that a company could subscribe to. The face-to-face communication allowed professionals to easily access longer meetings oceans away rather than the slow, untimely emails. The direct messaging in Skype for Business is also useful for in-house communications, but the typical use of this platform is over long distances.

2. Slack

Slack began as humble beginnings in a now disbanded company Tiny Speck as its own internal tool. Essentially, the platform works as channels with an overarching domain (that’s typically the company). For reference, the Liontech Rocket Club at Penn State has the overall domain with different channels to post announcements and updates depending on each member’s participation in the club–such as leadership, outreach, general, and then each department. Slack is very useful for announcements and for quick connection with other members of your organization with the personal messaging. Slack is also known for its easy mobile and browser interchangeability.

3.  Sharepoint

Have you ever come across a situation where you had to email a document to yourself in order to access that file on another computer? Although not a hassle with only a single essay, companies with thousands of reports cannot all possibly have that many emails circulating in their inboxes. According to Microsoft‘s website, “Organizations use SharePoint to create websites. You can use it as a secure place to store, organize, share, and access information from any device.” Essentially, Sharepoint saves that extra step by uploading documents to be viewed by anyone who has a password into a company’s specific domain. Other services like Box or OneDrive act similarly, though each document must be shared with others rather than automatically. So now when Gale asks for that field report, you can just say it’s on Sharepoint.

So what’s the big deal with these new communication platforms? Mainly security. Remember the Hillary email scandal? Well, think of some of industries’ top producers for the military. They work on highly sensitive material and one slightly-skilled hacker can log into a company’s domain and release information.

On top of that, many “new-fangled” apps fall victim to unprofessionalism. Posting too much or sending inappropriate messages becomes much easier when deleting a text can happen at one end, unlike email.

These platforms are also an added, unnecessary expense, especially with small businesses that these apps would be extremely helpful to. On top of that, emails are completely free– unless a specific domain is managed by the company.

So what do you think? Are Slack and Sharepoint and other platforms like these the way of the future? Or is email the tried and true?