I just read the strangest post on The Register UK, so of course I am sharing it with you. The title is McDonalds ponders in-store 3D printing for Happy Meal toys and of course I clicked over because that is just about the best idea for using 3D print “commercially” I’ve heard. However, the article is based solely upon a quote from McDonald’s UK IT Director, Mark Fabes.
The article states, “However, before you pile down to your nearest branch, it’s worth pointing out that this is not even a pilot. Fabes was speaking on a panel on emerging technologies at a Fujitsu customer event in Munich. McDonalds has no current plans to explore 3D printing technology further.
“It’s just a thought,” said Fabes, told El Reg.”
Just a THOUGHT? It’s a pretty genius thought! And since I now see a bunch of blogs out there who have also taken the concept as such, I know Im not alone! Of course some are reporting it as McDonalds IS going to use technology for Happy Meals, but now that the 3D cat is out of the bag, I don’t see how it can go back in. The impact of on-demand toys for kids in restaurants, theme parks, even DOCTORS offices is immense!
In another kind of throw away in the article mentioning when it comes to 3D printers and the brands of them being mostly unknown, this was tossed in: “However, Meg Whitman told a conference recently that HP was considering an entry into the market.”
Are these two things connected? “Fabes said any move by McDonalds would have to be alongside a serious tech supplier: “It’s got to be a big partner in terms of robustness.”
Food for thought?
