Disruptive Manufacturing: Customized, Curio, and Massive “Cottage Industry” potential does prove we can Change, we can Make, we can be Better, more Open and extremely Agile (maybe forget Foreign Imports and Military Sales). If there is a global “AAA” Threat of Atypical (no prior example), Asymmetric (uneven impact), Asynchronous (not when, where, what dependent) manufacturing industry, then either a boon-boom or threat-boom exist to US, EU, RU, CN, IN ... IMO.
Disruptive Leveraging of Distributed Manufacturing: Distributed/Local production a/o manufacturing is a decentralized Enterprises of Interest (EoI) model that can use a network of geographically dispersed manufacturing facilities (homes, schools, hospitals ...) that are coordinated using telecommunications (Cell, WWWeb ...) for just-in-time production and logistics (There are WWII Vietnam ... examples).
When the AAA threat cannot be mitigated (as in WWII, Vietnam ...) then you (US, EU ...) must lead the future of “Disruptive Manufacturing” AAA Boon-Boom. The “AAA” Threat (IMO) cannot be addressed by present national/international governments/laws, military, economic, social structures ...; Hence, national/international ... structures, institutions, strategy, tactics ... change will happen (I hope) by and for US. NOTE: I could be wrong and this is all a SciFic-101 book/lesson/movie concept.
Disruptive Manufacturing Technology Enabler: “Arduino” [https://twitter.com/arduino] is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for anyone making interactive projects. The Arduino Board senses the environment by receiving inputs from many sensors, and affects its surroundings by controlling lights, motors, and other actuators. The Arduino Software can tell your Arduino maker product what to do, by writing code in the Arduino programming language and using the Arduino development environment. Arduino developer kits and software programming interface make it easier for artists, designers and other do-it-yourself enthusiasts – who often don’t have technical backgrounds – to create interactive objects or environments. The community of Arduino enthusiasts is vast, and includes region specific groups and special interest groups. http://www.arduino.cc/
Disruptive Manufacturing Technology Enabler: “SparkFun” [https://twitter.com/sparkfun] is an online retail store that sells the parts and devices to make your electronics projects possible. Whether it's a robot that can cook your breakfast or a GPS cat tracking device, SparkFun products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible. In addition to products, SparkFun also offers classes and online tutorials to help educate individuals in the wonderful world of embedded electronics. https://www.sparkfun.com/
Disruptive Manufacturing Technology Enabler: “LittleBits” [https://twitter.com/littleBits] is making hardware limitless and has one mission: to put the power of electronics in the hands of everyone. littleBits makes a library of electronic modules that snap together with magnets to allow anyone to learn, build, and invent with electronics—no soldering, wiring, or programming required. The company was founded in 2011 by MIT Media Lab graduate, TED Senior Fellow, and cofounder of the Open Hardware Summit, Ayah Bdeir. http://littlebits.cc
Disruptive Manufacturing Technology Enabler: “Adafruit” [https://twitter.com/adafruit] founded in 2005 by MIT engineer, Limor Fried. Her goal was to create the best place online for learning electronics and making the best designed products for makers of all ages and skill levels. Adafruit has tools, equipment and electronics that are personally selected, tested and approved before going in to the Adafruit store. Limor Fried was the first female engineer on the cover of WIRED magazine and was recently awarded Entrepreneur magazine's Entrepreneur of the year. http://www.adafruit.com
Disruptive Manufacturing Technology Enabler: “3DPrint” [https://twitter.com/3dprintindustry] is a process for making a three-dimensional object in any shape of any material from a computer based data source where successive layers are applied to make the product. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing
Additional “Maker” Information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_culture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_movement
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_design
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fablab
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackerspace
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MakerBot_Industries
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_manufacturing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_Faire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivism_(philosophy_of_education)
Asymmetric warfare is the least of our worries. What about asymmetric industry, logistics, fielding, training in a theater of operations? We will not be able to order parts/weapons and filed innovations from home fast enough in the future battlefields. Don’t worry US, EU, RU, CN ... industry have the same problems. NOTE: Small companies and underdeveloped countries have a cottage-industry potential to leap-ahead of our megalithic stovepipe institutional cultures.
