Have you heard of 3D printing? Probably, it’s the recent tech trend that everyone’s been buzzing about. But what is it really?Well, for one, it’s the process of making three-dimensional solid objects of almost any shape by placing down successive layers of material that is created by a specialized printer. But more importantly, it’s technology that is extremely wide reaching, impacting a multitude of diverse industries that include health, education, civil engineering, and of course, fashion.In many ways, 3D printing can change our society in ways that are simply unprecedented. What we are currently able to do with it is already rather spectacular, just Google Ivan Sentch and his full-scale 3D printed Aston Martin DB4.While he has only printed the frame of the car so far, he doesn’t plan to stop there as he is already looking into ways of making the car fully operational.Then there’s Iris van Herpen’s 3D printed Escapism couture collection for .MGX. The Dutch designer collaborated with architect Daniel Wildrig and premiered it during the haute couture fashion week in Paris as far back as 2011. Clearly they knew that 3D printing was going to be huge. Just a month ago, Dita Von Teese wore an out-of-this-world 3D printed mesh dress encrusted with Swarovski crystals at the two day 3D printing conference held at the Ace Hotel in NYC. There are plenty of other areas where 3D printing is going to be a game changer.Stan Lee famously wrote that, “with great power comes great responsibility”, and he was right. 3D Technology is not without it’s negative side effects. As this country is in the middle of dealing with all types of social issues, including gun control, something like the Grizzly 3D printed rifle that can fire off 10 shots without breaking, can potentially harm many if it falls into the wrong hands.But here is something positive to focus on, and it will really blow your mind: scientists and engineers at Organovo, a company that specializes in designing and creating functional human tissue, are currently able to print a fully operational human liver. Just take a moment to think about what something like this really means in the long run. As the technology becomes more advanced and less expensive, it has the potential to eliminate black market organ smuggling, restore missing limbs and help the rehabilitation efforts of people affected by war, or crippling diseases amongst many other variables. Yeah, we know, amazing!And since most of technology in and of it self is not intrinsically harmful or dangerous, human intention is ultimately responsible for how it will be applied. But the potential of 3D printing overall is truly remarkable and we are paying close attention to how it will evolve.Image Sources:1) Fox News2) I.Materialise3) NY Mag4) Pop Science