Making the Future
Our world is constantly evolving. Over the past few decades, the digital age has revolutionized the way we consume and share information, while green technologies have allowed us to generate our own energy. If we get the tools to make our own physical products, the world will soon undergo another sea change. Inventing the Future, produced by the VPRO documentary series, explores this inspiring phenomenon that could forever change the world economy and the way we live.
Much of the film takes place at the Maker Faire in San Mateo, California, where a new generation of crafters gather to showcase their homemade creations. Easily accessible 3D printers, drones, and artificial intelligence technologies are democratizing the innovation process. The Internet provides these inventors with a forum to cut out the middle man and share their concepts with a community of like-minded individuals. Together they develop, produce and sell future products.
Tools and raw materials are cheaper than ever, and start-up costs are falling. Goods that used to be produced in sprawling multi-million dollar factories can now be realized in someone’s basement. This dynamic presents a major challenge to the principles of the capitalist economy as we know it, and has drawn the attention of large corporations and brick-and-mortar businesses. Giants like NASA have sensed the omens and are actively recruiting these manufacturers to develop autonomous robotic systems and other highly advanced technologies.
The maker movement isn’t just about making your next piece of furniture on a 3D printer. This do-it-yourself mentality is also paying off in scientific fields such as synthetic biology. Armed with a humble workstation and information gleaned from the internet, an amateur scientist can set up his own laboratory where he may have the ability to manipulate human DNA and bacteria. This could lead to the next great cure for a mysterious disease. But even shady characters with more sinister motives could bring about the next great plague.
Inventing the Future delves into the possible benefits and potential dangers of the next industrial revolution.
Directed by: Martijn Kieft
