Scotty, Beam Me Up

Being the big science fiction geek that I am I was both thrilled and chilled to read that the Star Trek replicator is one step closer.

Thrilled:

Bath University has unveiled a machine that could manufacture household objects to order in the home of the future.

Dr Adrian Bowyer, of the University's Centre for Biomimetics, said that he has adapted a fast prototype generator used in the car industry to make simple household objects.

Chilled:

The idea of self-replicating machinery was first proposed seriously by Hungarian scientist John von Neumann, who called them 'universal constructors'.

<>The idea was adapted for the concept of space flight, where a single machine would land, reproduce and move on, thus exploring the galaxy at an exponential rate.

Update 11:39pm:
This article has some pictures and an idea that might intrigue GD Frogsdong - the obsolesence of Walmart.