What is the ancestor of the 3D printer?

Would we have Wikipedia today if the German Johannes Gutenberg had not invented the printing press in 1450? We can’t be sure, because before this invention, books were rare, made by hand and mostly religious. The printing press has allowed more people like scientists to spread new ideas very quickly and more widely.

With the emergence of 3D printing, are we going to experience a similar revolution?

Ⓒ A variety of 3D- printed hands, from open-source files. The design are created by volunteers in the international community behind the e-NABLE project.

What does this curious device have in common with your smartphone?

This machine is a telegraph. It was invented by Samuel Morse in 1837. Like smartphones, it completely changed the way we communicate. Before it was invented, people had to use carrier pigeons, or send handwritten messages and even smoke signals to each other. Since the invention of the telegraph , long-distance communication has evolved rapidly and continues to do so.

This invention must have been as surprising at the time as telemedicine is today.

Ⓒ CPN

What was the first city in the world to be electrified?

It was New York in 1882. 

In Europe, one of the first electrified cities was Timişoara in Romania. 5 years before Paris!

These bulbs have brought people much more than light. Artificial light has helped the development and safety of cities. It has also contributed to education.Thanks to light bulbs, children could do their homework in the evenings.

Will our construction materials of the future have luminous properties?

Ⓒ Bolond, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Has mould saved a lot of lives?

On 3 September 1928, the Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming returned from his holidays. In his London laboratory, he noticed that, during his absence, mould called penicillium had developed in Petri dishes and had killed the bacteria he was studying. The development of the antibiotic penicillin, named after the mould, saved the lives of over 50 million people worldwide and revolutionised modern medicine.

Are we facing another revolution with biotechnologies that allow us to modify DNA?

Ⓒ Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Culture plate of penicillium mould, London, England, 1963, Science Museum, London.

Where did the first compass come from?

The first compasses appeared in China in the 9th century CE. They consisted of a wooden fish with a magnetite needle that floated in a bowl filled with water. This invention changed how humans see and explore the earth. It was the compass that allowed navigators like Christopher Columbus to venture far out to sea. It paved the way for a multitude of orientation tools such as GPS.

What unknown planets will we explore tomorrow?

Ⓒ Victoria C, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What plant hides behind this skirt?

This curious material is bioplastic based on maize starch.  It was used as far back as the time of the Mayans, 4000 years BCE. 

Nowadays, natural materials made from flax, hemp, shells or even food waste are making a comeback. They can be found in the form of panels, high-performance fibres and even 3D filaments! This is revolutionising the construction, fashion and packaging industries.

So… are we ready to abandon plastic and concrete, and go back to basics?

When did the first microscopes appear?

Magnifying glasses have been used to correct vision since the 13th century. This know-how allowed the development of the telescope and then the microscope. The latter invention is attributed to the Dutch optician Jansen in 1590. Looking through a microscope, we discovered the existence of bacteria and cell division. Microscopes and imaging techniques led to huge advances in the fields of biology and medicine.

What diseases still remain to be understood?

FlyPi is an open source microscope made with 3d printer. Ⓒ Open-Labware.Net project led by TReND in Africa/ OpenNeuroscience/The Baden lab. Used with permission.

Whose hand is this?

It is the hand of Anna Bertha Röntgen, the wife of the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen, the discoverer of  X-rays. They quickly found a medical application, particularly in dentistry, and were used during the Great War to diagnose the bone fractures of soldiers. Until 1920, the dangerous nature of X-rays was not known and they were also used for fun: people could take pictures of their skeletons at funfairs.

With virtual reality and artificial intelligence, what will tomorrow’s medical imagery look like?

Hand mit Ringen (Hand with Rings), X Ray photograph, December 22, 1895. Ⓒ Wilhelm Röntgen., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

From which material were the first stethoscopes made?

Paper! The invention of the stethoscope is attributed to the Frenchman René Laënnec in 1816. After seeing children play with sound propagation in a tree trunk, he had the idea of rolling a stack of paper into a tube to listen to the heart of his patients. First made from paper, then wood and later metal… nowadays the connected or digital stethoscope is making its appearance in the field of e-health.

With the development of connected objects, which body functions will we be able to monitor tomorrow?

Ⓒ Museum of Science and Technology, Belgrade

What type of energy was used to operate the first cranes?

Human energy. The first cranes date back to ancient times. They were invented to move very heavy stones to build large buildings, bridges or fortifications. In the Middle Ages, cranes were operated using a kind of large hamster wheel, but one with humans inside. With the Industrial Revolution, human energy was replaced by motors.

In the past we used cranes to build cathedrals and now skyscrapers, what technical challenges will we be able to solve in the future?

Ⓒ Michael Gunther, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Which animals inspired Leonardo da Vinci to invent his flying machine?

One of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous “inventions” is undoubtedly the flying machine. The artist studied the flight of bats and birds as well as the anatomy of their wings in order to create his prototypes. In his approach, Leonardo da Vinci combined the observation skills of an artist with the engineer’s quest for innovation based on trial and error.

Will tomorrow’s innovations also be inspired by nature?

Model of flying ship from Leonardo da Vinci drawings, 1953, National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, Italy © Nassiri

What do Roman forts, the Eiffel Tower and housing built after the Second World War have in common?

They were all built using a type of construction that reduces time, cost and labour: prefabrication. It allows most of the elements of a building to be constructed in a factory and then assembled on site. While prefabs solved the housing shortage in post-war Europe, they later became a symbol of standardisation and “ugly” housing. 

With the spread of 3D design and printing and the eco-environmental challenges we face, will prefabs make a beautiful comeback?

© Pointois, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons