Downloading hardware a possibility in the future?

[dighn]

well with things like FPGAs you can already download cores written in hardwrae description languages and synthesize into working hardware but wouldn't work for cutting edge stuff like PCs

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: Yossarian
it isn't inconceivable. we have 3d printers now that are used for rapid prototyping in new product development. they use real plastics. someday we could have similar devices that printed circuit boards or electronic components. you could download the "blueprint" to a personal 3d printer.

Interesting....very interesting!

digitalsnare, you just got 0wned! 😛

So, you download the program for the prototyping machine to make you board but you still aren't downloading hardware. Not in the strictest sense of the word. Besides, those protyping printers are really expensive. You couldn't make semi-conductors in that manner though. Not without it costing millions of dollars.

It also used to cost insane amounts of money for computers, and look at how far we've come now. I'm not saying this would happen overnight, but given 40, 50, 75 years, I could definitely see it as being possible.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: Yossarian
it isn't inconceivable. we have 3d printers now that are used for rapid prototyping in new product development. they use real plastics. someday we could have similar devices that printed circuit boards or electronic components. you could download the "blueprint" to a personal 3d printer.

Interesting....very interesting!

digitalsnare, you just got 0wned! 😛

So, you download the program for the prototyping machine to make you board but you still aren't downloading hardware. Not in the strictest sense of the word. Besides, those protyping printers are really expensive. You couldn't make semi-conductors in that manner though. Not without it costing millions of dollars.

It also used to cost insane amounts of money for computers, and look at how far we've come now. I'm not saying this would happen overnight, but given 40, 50, 75 years, I could definitely see it as being possible.

News flash, it still costs easily 10s of millions of dollars to fabricate semi-conductors in R&D, plant and equipment, and in manufacture and testing.

 

[tami]

i read about something like this a year or two ago. some company has been working on a device that rearranges molecules to build items based on data that is stored in a medium of some sort. it definitely isn't inconceivable as previously stated. but right now, the device as i recall is huge (remember the first mainframes?) and not for general use.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

It depends what you're referring to. It might be possible to add some peripheral capabilities to a circuit, but core functionality would require some insane nanotechnology. For example, an FPGA is capable of being reconfigured to do a ton of different tasks, so you could put one on a circuit board to add some functionality to your board. The problem is that anything reprogrammable is usually very (VERY) slow compared to what's hardwired. So unless there are incredible advances in nanotechnology that allow you to perform some lithography-like process, you won't be able to upgrade the core capabilities of your hardware remotely.

 

[Snapster]

The only way you could is if you downloading information to update/create hardware via some sort of currently undeveloped super technology ala star trek replicators

 

[Spikesoldier]

Originally posted by: LukFilm

Originally posted by: Wallydraigle

Originally posted by: KLin
"¿Gracias para llamando a Starbucks, cómo puedo le ayudo?"
"Yes I'd like to download a venti Mocha with extra froth."
"¿Que?"
"Huh?

Fixed.

ROTLFMAO.

THEY TOOK ERRRR JARBSS!!!!!!!oneoen

 

[GasX]

When everyone has a personal fabrication device in their home office, we will download specs and have them made at home.

 

[sciencewhiz]

It's definetly on the way. Altera makes a processor (NIOS) that is a core for an FPGA. All the peripherals, etc are configurable.

My company has a product that can update it's firmware over ethernet currently. The next generation will also have an FPGA that is programmed from the onboard processor, and can be updated over the ethernet as well.

 

[Deleted member 4644]

Possible in some sense of the word? Yes. Will we see it? I doubt it.

 

[Freejack2]

One feasible way would work but pretty much requires us to invent the star trek replicators. People would purchase a replicator and the raw materials required for it to make things. Then we would purchase patterns to make things.

So if you wanted a bowl of chicken noodle soup you would purchase the pattern and viola, lunch. I imagine if you ate a lot of chicken noodle soup you could buy an unlimited use pattern or something like that.

 

[Train]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: Yossarian
it isn't inconceivable. we have 3d printers now that are used for rapid prototyping in new product development. they use real plastics. someday we could have similar devices that printed circuit boards or electronic components. you could download the "blueprint" to a personal 3d printer.

Interesting....very interesting!

digitalsnare, you just got 0wned! 😛

So, you download the program for the prototyping machine to make you board but you still aren't downloading hardware. Not in the strictest sense of the word. Besides, those protyping printers are really expensive. You couldn't make semi-conductors in that manner though. Not without it costing millions of dollars.

It also used to cost insane amounts of money for computers, and look at how far we've come now. I'm not saying this would happen overnight, but given 40, 50, 75 years, I could definitely see it as being possible.

Actually someone is already workin on this, a while back I read of CPU's made of holograms, they can re-organize the layout of the "transistors" at will using lasers. Your CPU could rearrange itself depending on what application your running, like one optimized config for games, another for apps, etc.

 

[Grey]

Only a matter of time before we have things like this in our homes. All we have to do is pay for the program instructions..


3d Printers