Introduction
Consumer technology is rapidly evolving with time, becoming capable of delivering more value to people. Coming from the minds of gifted individuals and companies seeking to bring innovation onto the market, new products arrive at new and increasing audiences within the globalized economy. However, many technologies and inventions people enjoy today have come a long way since their inception, changing along the way and becoming more suitable for use. With advances in modern technology, it is possible to improve upon existing designs, eliminate flaws or address new and emergent needs of the public. In most cases, this includes making technology more accessible and expanding its range of capabilities or integrating it with other products.
One of the ways for organizations to advertise their new products is through popular media. Advertisement breaks on television, radio promotions, banners and sponsorships online – all of these approaches fulfill the primary goal of finding customers. Many films use popular or imagined consumer technology in order to aid the narrative or help the protagonists achieve a specific goal. In other cases, films use their narratives to fulfill specific brand deals, getting additional finances as a result. It is fruitful to consider how different types of consumer technology are used and portrayed in films, as it presents a good opportunity to further discuss the potential applications of various technology. This work will attempt a consumer product-based look at Ocean’s 8. The main focus of the discussion will be the 3D printer, which is heavily involved in a movie’s big heist.
Movie Synopsis
Ocean’s 8 is a comedy/heist movie and a sequel to the film Ocean’s 11. In the film, the titular character Debbie Ocean assembles a team of people in order to perform a team operation. Their goal is to steal an especially valuable necklace, using the strength of each individual member to further their plan. By assembling a cast of women, each of whom has her own specialty, Ocean’s plan comes to fruition. The robbery proceeds with comical setbacks; all the while law enforcement is actively trying to stop the group. After successfully accomplishing their goal and framing another person for the crime, it is revealed that the true goal of the operation was even grander, managing to steal gems from a nearby museum using the initial heist as a cover-up. For the purposes of this review, it is important to note the use of 3D printer technology by the protagonist and their group. In order to fool the public and mask their stealing of the necklace, the group prints out an elaborate copy made out of zirconium. This trick helps them effectively accomplish the heist and not attract unwanted attention. The movie uses a real model of a 3D printer – a MakerBot Replicator.
Technology Analysis
History
Despite their relatively modern popularization, 3D printers have a long and storied history. In 1971, when the first instances of Inkjet technology were being created by Teletype, the company experimented with many potential uses for their new machinery. Deviating from the initial purpose of printing text, Teletype further experimented with using wax or metal to create solid objects. The idea was to supply liquid metal into the inkjet, which would then solidify into a necessary shape (Turney, 2022). As noted by the multimedia company Autodesk, these trials were but small steps in the direction 3D printers would eventually go. Most modern 3D printers work with the same principle as the 18th-century prototypes – using a specific liquid material to build shapes, which then solidify using various methods.
Objects are built in 3D layer-by-layer, meticulously recreated from computer models and existing templates. At the end of the 1990s, today’s 3D printing technology was already being created, although the specific effective methods for solidifying polymers were still unknown. Coming into the new decade, printing tech has finally come into full bloom, being used by medical professionals, designers and other professionals in their work (Turney, 2022). Initially, 3D printing technology was largely inaccessible to the common man, given its costly nature and a lack of mass production. Starting around 2005, however, trends slowly started to shift toward a more public-friendly image of the 3D printer, helped by the rise of open-source computer development (Turney, 2022). Early ideas for printer accessibility included even such ambitions as helping each and every one a printer that builds itself, efforts that culminated only in 2008 (Turney, 2022). Other companies also rose up to the challenge, striving to create affordable printer technology and accompanying object designs.
Moving to the present day, it is clear that 3D printing keeps reaching new peaks with each year, increasing its capabilities, and making the technology quicker, more efficient and accessible for every person. With the growing use of technology in people’s everyday lives, the interest in 3D printing and related technologies also grows. As a result, the range of possible applications for 3D printers widened, along with the assortment of available materials and potential directions for the product to grow.
Target Audience
The primary users of 3D printers vary, as the printers themselves are capable of fulfilling many different functions. First, they are an invaluable tool for many professions. Architects are able to sculpt their own designs, test ideas out in the real world and construct specific objects for interior and exterior design. Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals use 3D printing in their direct work and education. Creating prosthetics or teaching others about various parts of the body with models. Hobbyists and craftsmen are capable of expanding their collections or realizing artistic endeavors. For digital artists, it is an especially interesting tool capable of making many of their projects into tangible items or products. Even in the restaurant business, 3D printers find their own unique niche (“What is 3D printed food?,” 2021). Using food-grade equipment, 3D printers are capable of creating food with different ingredients.
When discussing the benefits of 3D printing more broadly, it is also possible to identify the potential target demographics for this type of product. Generally, 3D printers are designed for tech-savvy young or older adults (Goulding, 2020). There is an inherent entrance barrier to using this type of tech, as the user must be capable of setting it up and using designs via a personal computer/other electronic devices. Furthermore, that person also needs to afford the purchase of a 3D printer, its maintenance, and the costs of the material it will use. As a result, only a specific demographic of people at an intersection between technological capability and financial stability would be able to use a 3D printer. In terms of international use, there are no regional or national restrictions on who is best suited to use this technology, and 3D printer manuals and tutorials, among other things, can be found in many different languages. As a result, people from all walks of life and most continents can adopt this technology as long as they have access to electricity. The financial requirement of having a 3D printer remains high, however, meaning that the citizens of third-world countries would likely be unable to use 3D printing as a tool of personal convenience. Comparatively, industrial 3D printing should be available to any international firm, as companies possess the necessary wealth to maintain a 3D printer.
Benefits for Consumers and Future
There is a multitude of benefits to using a 3D printer. These can include both personal and societal benefits, as 3D printers differ on a consumer and industrial scale. For an individual, printers exist as a tool of increased accessibility and control over the production of the necessary goods. Many of them come from the self-sufficiency of printing objects and the capacity for easy, cost-effective creation. Owning a 3D printer allows people to repair or modify other objects in accordance with their desires without the need to buy other products. For example, if a person loses their tablet’s stylus or an important part of a foldable table, they can easily print the necessary detail using the printer and continue to use their other products without problems. Creatively, the benefits of 3D printing are clear. The technology presents a tangible alternative to digital art or hand-sculpting, giving people a creative outlet. Thinking in more global terms, it is likely that 3D printer technology is conducive to concerns of sustainability and affordable living. In the face of resource inequality, wealth disparity and the housing crisis, both locally and around the world, 3D printers present a more convenient way to make building materials (Bellamy, 2022). Compared to traditional buildings, this method is often cheaper, more streamlined and accessible, potentially giving more people a home (Bellamy, 2022). According to reports, it is possible to drastically reduce the building times of a house by using 3D printing instead of standard building practices, giving organizations a pathway to more widespread use of 3D printing in construction.
Conclusion
Consumer technology is in a constant state of evolution, changing, improving and reinventing itself as a tool to stay relevant. Many types of products seen as largely inaccessible just a few decades prior are now parts of people’s lives, helping many fulfill their needs. 3D printing is one such case, coming a long way. As a whole, it can be said that 3D printing is an important and ambitious facet of today’s world. Emerging in the 1970s as a distant dream, this technology has been embraced and become available to the public. Using liquid material in order to construct solid objects, this technology has been widely adopted in many areas of life, including medicine, construction, education and entertainment. While a steep learning curve exists to use the technology effectively, those with access to it obtain considerable convenience and benefits as a result. Experts consider 3D printing to be vital in promoting accessibility and sustainability in society, as it can significantly streamline modern construction. Building houses, furniture, common utility items and much more, 3D printing is an irreplaceable piece of contemporary tech.
References
Goulding, C. (2020). Millennials and the new demographics of 3D printing « Fabbaloo. Fabbaloo. Web.
What is 3D-printed food? (2021). Bernard Marr. Web.
Bellamy, C. (2022). A concrete house, printed: Is this the answer to America’s housing crisis? NBC News. Web.
Turney, D. (2022). History of 3D printing: It’s older than you think. Redshift – English. Web.