As part of a major new exhibition about the future of manufacturing (The Future is Here, 24 July – 29 October), the Design Museum has carried out a survey with Ipsos MORI which reveals that just 6%, or one in 17 people in the UK, have an interest in owning a 3D printer. The large majority (71%) say they have heard not very much or nothing at all about 3D printing.
The poll, which interviewed 994 people across Great Britain, gives a snapshot of the nation’s attitudes towards this emerging technology. It analyses views on the pace of change and pressures brought about by radical developments in technology that are putting the individual at the centre of the design and manufacturing industry.
The trend for custom made furniture and personalised trainers is making its way – via open source design files online and desktop 3D printers – into the home. But is this an invasion of technology, or is does it signal the advent of an age when the barriers of access to design and making will ebb away forever?
New manufacturing techniques will involve the users of products as never before, revolutionising the role of the consumer. How we manufacture, fund, distribute, and buy everything from cars to shoes is progressing fast. The Future is Here shows what that means for all of us.
DESIGN MUSEUM, SHAD THAMES, LONDON SE1 2YD OPENING: 10.00 -17.45 daily. Last admission: 17.15 Admissions: £11.75 Adults, £10.70 Concessions, £7.50 Students, under 12s Free. PUBLIC INFORMATION T: 020 7940 8790 W: designmuseum.org #futureishere