Eddy Kuo is one of our developers who has worked on technologies like Project Freewheel, multitouch, augmented reality, and virtualization via the cloud. So it's no wonder he went ga-ga when he encountered a series of articles.
- Fuji Finepix Real 3D W1 Tested, Declared "Coolest Camera of the Year"
- Wikipedia entry for Lenticular printing
- Redeye 3D Printing on Demand
Perhaps one day connecting these dots will be as easy as 1-2-3? Point your camera at a CAD part, snap a picture to capture 3D data, and print to a 3D printer. Now that might be considered rapid prototyping but it is not design. I think its as close to the Replicator on Star Trek as we will ever get.
Pondering possibilities for the future is alive in the lab.