Smart Cities

Until now, I really love the fact that someone reported about smart cities, mainly because I used to live in a city that was transitioning into one (I used to live in Abu Dhabi, btw). So, what is a smart city? A city can be considered as a smart city when investments in human and social capital and traditional (transport) and modern (ICT) communication infrastructure fuel sustainable economic development and a high quality of life, with a wise management of natural resources, through participatory action and engagement. The purpose of my post is to evaluate whether the Philippines's capital, Manila, can ever be a smart city.

Manila in its current state cannot be a smart city since there are other more important aspects of the city that need more attention than integrating ICT into the city's infrastructure, like the massive traffic jams on rush hours and the state of these roads, for instances. If we are to imagine that all these issues are resolved, then maybe Manila can be a smart city. 

3D Printing: Manufacturing

As stated in my previous post, 3D Printing can be applied in many different aspects of life, as well as in different studies and disciplines, one of which is on manufacturing. The term used for 3D Printing in manufacturing is Additive Manufacturing. 

In manufacturing, the whole benefits and capabilities of 3D Printing can be fully felt and disclosed. Imagine, manufacturing focuses on the term "bulk", and since 3D Printing can produce models using only the printer and the model (eliminating cheap labor, except for assembly, if needed), then it really is one of the greatest things that ever happened to the world. At least, that's what's supposed to happen, right?

3D Printing, although it proves to be very, very beneficial to the society and to industries as well, still has many ethical issues revolving around it. I have mentioned the issues on copyright infringements and intellectual property thefts in my previous post, and it is in a much worse degree in this industry. Also, since there are tons of 3D models available online, some of these models can be inappropriate and dangerous, which can lead to other worse issues as well. To prevent these, higher monitoring and stricter policies regarding the 3D models and the 3D printers should be implemented. Also, countries should create laws that govern how 3D printing can be used in both the workplace and in home, because trust me, there are people that can afford a 3D printer and print lots of stuff which can entail issues if not used properly. 

3D Printing: Health

If you are reading this, I bet you already know what 3D printing is and what it offers to different industries and aspects of life, as well as different studies and disciplines. To simply put it, 3D Printing is a process for making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model (or blueprint). 3D Printing enables everyone who has access to it to create prototypes and designs of just about anything, which can lead to faster prototyping and marketing.

Putting 3D Printing in health and medicine creates a wide variety of possibilities. For me, the biggest advantage of 3D Printing is that everything is customizable, so everything can be tailored to a person's exact wants and needs. Currently, 3D Printing can be applied in many aspects when it comes to health, but two things will surely come to mind: medical devices and biological tissues.

Medical Devices
Before, medical devices are mass produced since they are always used and are disposed off quickly. Using 3D Printing, acquiring these devices are now much faster and much easier, with the possibility of wider range of choices and customizations. Another use of 3D Printing is on prosthetics and dental work, which uses the advantage of customization and faster prototyping.

Biological Tissues
Yes, you read it right. Nowadays, it is possibly to actually print artificial human tissue thanks to years of research from scientists all around the globe. If I'm not mistaken, scientists have already successfully printed an artificial human eye and ear, which could be used for transplants. This is the main reason why there are many issues when it comes to 3D Printing in health. Nevertheless, this is still a huge game changer and although it has tons of promises, it is still far out.

OKAY. So, issues. Some of the issues that comes to mind is the issue of intellectual properties and copyright infringements. For me, this isn't really an issue since it can be controlled by not making 3D models available online, or by having a controlling device of some sorts (like permits or only making it available to licensed medical practitioners, IDK). Another issue is on longevity, which can lead to immortality. Let's face it: if every part of the human body can be printed and replaced in the future, then what would happen to the whole concept of "death" itself since parts that are "damaged" or "deteriorated" are replaceable?