Input OUTPUT: BEAM US THE FIGURING, MR. SCOTT

摘要

When engineering tools meet fine art, the times start to catch up to science fiction. A professor of sculpture, Dan Collins, is experimenting with rapid protoyping, e-mail, and digital files of artwork to transmit solid objects anywhere on the planet. Engineers in far-flung enterprises have done work like this before, swapping digital files and eventually feeding them to a machine. But Collins is talking about using similar technology for a broader range of objects, not just parts and systems in the early stages of development. In essence, he's talking about a form of teleportation. Of course, you and I can't go, nor can our luggage, but some things do get through.