EMP metalshaping
http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15268879
What I find interesting is not the metal punch application, but the metal shaping option mentioned halfway into the article. Being able to shove a metal sheet or ingot into a machine with no moving parts and have it bend itself into a finished article is one step away from working out how to manipulate the field shapes and strengths in said machine so that it can generate more than one shape - and eventually, can be near-universally programmable.
Wouldn't be bad to have a machine around the house that could crank out cutlery, sharpen carving knives, straighten forks, generate custom sinks and plumbing components, and basically replace an entire machine shop.
What I find interesting is not the metal punch application, but the metal shaping option mentioned halfway into the article. Being able to shove a metal sheet or ingot into a machine with no moving parts and have it bend itself into a finished article is one step away from working out how to manipulate the field shapes and strengths in said machine so that it can generate more than one shape - and eventually, can be near-universally programmable.
Wouldn't be bad to have a machine around the house that could crank out cutlery, sharpen carving knives, straighten forks, generate custom sinks and plumbing components, and basically replace an entire machine shop.