• Question: Could it be possible sometime or somehow to manipulate atoms into being able to form objects at our command?

    Asked by to Edward, Ian, Mathew, Naomi, sakshisharda on 23 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Ian Stephenson

      Ian Stephenson answered on 23 Jun 2014:

      We do it all the time… it’s called making stuff!!!

      everything is made out of atoms, and we build machines to form objects out of them all the time. Every factory or workshop takes in raw materials, and manipulates them into new objects.

      We’ll find new and better ways of doing it – for example 3D printers are pretty cool (though they’re mostly a novelty item at the moment, but they will get better and cheaper).

    • Photo: Naomi Osborne

      Naomi Osborne answered on 23 Jun 2014:

      Like Ian said, 3D printers are a great example of this – where layers of material (from plastic to edible food) are printed by a machine under computer control. Objects that are being made include artificial limbs, cars, clothing….pretty much everything! In the near future, much of what we make will be done using computers.

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