There are many technological advances that have changed the way society behaves. In the 19th century, it was the railroads. In the 20th century, it was the television, the computer, and the Internet. Today, in the 21st century, it is 3D printing. 3D printing provides a solution to a multitude of problems across the globe.

One example is the printing of functioning organs. One of the ma­jor problems the medical world has is the fact that the only organs they can receive are the ones that are donated to the hospi­tals; even then, the organs must undergo a prelimi­nary screening and pass additional tests. As such, it is extremely difficult to obtain vital organs such as hearts and lungs. 3D printing offers a solu­tion to this by producing artificial organs; mass production seems to be a possible reality in the near future. Another example that is less known is the preservation and presentation of artifacts. A 3D scan and print of all the artifacts of a museum can offer maximum protection of the artifacts as well as the removal of the “Don’t Touch” signs all over the museum. By offering tactile interaction with the artifacts, not only can the visitors have a better understanding and appre­ciation of the origins and historical significance of the artifacts, but also many of the barriers for research due to fragility are removed to provide more to the field of history. In fact, the Smithsonian Museum has announced its goal to immortalize all of its artifacts as soon as possible, which is no easy feat, for the museum has hundreds of thousands of artifacts locked away in vaults. If the Smithsonian accomplish­es this goal, historians would be untethered in their research of artifacts to unlock secrets that would otherwise remain veiled in mystery. 3D printing also holds recreational purposes. There is one company that decided to 3D print a person’s love story by recording his or her tone of voice, pulse, breathing rate, and length of pauses in between phrases. All these factors influence the thickness and density of the pat­terns drawn and printed out. These are then assembled into patterns such as lampshades or bowls. Entrepreneurs can also utilize 3D printing to bring life to their dreams. Truly, 3D printing is the innovation that will define the 21st century and beyond.