It is amazing how many of the things in science fiction and movies have become reality. For instance, in the movie Star Trek, the workers could go to a replicator  and order food, drinks or anything they could program  into the computer. Before long, the item would appear. This is possible today, in a way, with technology we have had for years. Several manufacturers  have created 3D printers. One company, MakerBot, has created a printer that the average person can afford. It is called The Replicator. You can download a lot of design software from the Internet for use with The Replicator. In the near future, rather than going to a store to buy what you need, you may be able to download what you want from the Internet and print it out at home. The process was first used with music. At the very beginning, music was recorded onto plastic disks with etching . Music can now be copied without a physical product.  _  Rather than having to buy a physical book or magazine, you can now download them from the Internet in digital  form. This technology is already used in engineering and architecture. Melissa Shoes, a Brazilian footwear company, is using this technology to create shoes. Rather than having to go through the current process of product design and development, the company is able to design and print shoes for display to see how well they will sell before having lots of them made. What do we know about The Replicator created by MakerBot?
It is not too expensive. We can download software from it. It can print whatever we want. It'll replace shopping in the future.