BATH, UKAccording to researchers at the University of Bath, machines that can make everything from a cup to a clarinet quickly and cheaply could be in people's homes within the next few years.
Current designs, based on rapid prototype machines of the type now used by industry, cost $50,000 or more. But Adrian Bowyer, PhD., of the university's Center for Biomimetics, is hoping to bring those costs down by designing a machine capable of making copies of itself, with the idea that as the machine's numbers increase, prices will fall. Ultimately, he hopes to post the necessary 3D models for his machine on the Internet where they can downloaded for free, thus kicking the process into gear.