MARCH 20188MBy Tanuj Taneja, Entrepreneur Business Partner, 3D Boulevard3D Boulevard empowers professionals, students and individuals everywhere to bring their ideas to life in material choices. It provides 3D hardware and software solutions and more. ost people probably haven't seen a 3D printer yet. But just like the way computers were in vogue during the 1980s, 3D printing is a novel technology that is rapidly finding its place in every industry. What was once an expen-sive niche technological tool that was considered part of the manufacturing sector alone is now creating new in-fluences across many industries. Some industries that are gaining innovative momentum with 3D printing include medicine, food processing, retail, and shipping.Be it prosthetic organs, a yummy cheeseburger, or new packaging materials, 3D printing is making every-thing possible. However, it may be intriguing to see the degree of interest the education sector is expressing towards this technology. With many schools and insti-tutions adding robotics and 3D printing to their cur-riculum, curious young minds are more than ready to explore. Children love robots! Introducing kids to robotics and 3D printing at an early age may be quite a challenge for K-12 instructors. How-ever, the content and material available is so engaging that teachers are prepared to go that extra mile. Fu-turistic startups are coming up with new products and technologies targeted towards educators and students. The Internet is brimming with resources: robot kits like Vex Robotics, Lego Mindstorms,and Sphero Balls, and advanced robotics such as NAO robot, are some examples. While teaching raw coding to young stu-dents can be too much for them to grasp, but making them play with a simple pro-grammable robot can be fascinating. This also emphasises to them the need for and importance of precise com-mands. Robotics is also a relatively easier way to familiarise students with complex subjects like science, math, technology, and engineering and make them understand how these are interrelated. These courses are integrated into the school curriculum to align with the grading and assess-ment system of the respective boards.Schools and educational institutions are proving to be the centre of innovation led by the infinite enthusi-asm of students and the vast scope for experimentation available at this level. With the help of 3D printing, robot programming and Computer Aided Design (CAD), stu-dents of K-12 can see their ideas take form. 3D printing can not only bring geometry and physical dimensions out of the dreary textbooks but also infuse life into them through art and creativity. Feeding the future demand3D printing may well be the future of technology with robots and Artificial Intelligence taking over most jobs. This indeed brings to surface the need for qual-ity programmers and technologists. With education IN MY OPINIONTanuj Taneja3D Printing: Redesigning India's education system
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