Page:A Review of the Open Educational Resources Movement.pdf/67

 "Universal manufacturing embodied as today’s freeform fabrication systems has—like universal computers—the potential to transform human society to a degree that few creations ever have. The ability to directly fabricate functional custom objects could transform the way we design, make, deliver, and consume products. But not less importantly, rapid prototyping technology has the potential to redefine the designer. By eliminating many of the barriers of resource and skill that currently prevent ordinary inventors from realizing their own ideas, fabbers can “democratize innovation.”

Ubiquitous automated manufacturing can thus open the door to a new class of independent designers, a marketplace of printable blueprints, and a new economy of custom products.

Fabbers (a. k. a. 3–D Printers or rapid prototyping machines) are a relatively new form of manufacturing that builds 3–D objects by carefully depositing materials drop by drop, layer by layer. Slowly but surely, with the right set of materials and a geometric blueprint, you can fabricate complex objects that would normally take special resources, tools, and skills if produced using conventional manufacturing techniques. A fabber can allow you explore new designs, email physical objects to other fabber owners, and most importantly—set your ideas free. Just like MP3s, iPods, and the Internet have freed musical talent, we hope that blueprints and fabbers will democratize innovation."

Creating a culture of learning will end up redefining how we think about work, leisure, and entertainment.

Such participatory learning environments return us to a land of passionate building and tinkering—getting a feel by doing. OPLI can be a platform for extending to developing countries some of the learning innovation in engineering education at Olin College, a new school with little institutional