3D Printers aren't new technology, however one that can print itself and one that is being developed so that anyone can make and use them for free are.

"RepRap is short for Replicating Rapid-prototyper. It is the practical self-copying 3D printer shown on the right - a self-replicating machine. This 3D printer builds the parts up in layers of plastic. This technology already exists, but the cheapest commercial machine would cost you about €30,000. And it isn't even designed so that it can make itself. So what the RepRap team are doing is to develop and to give away the designs for a much cheaper machine with the novel capability of being able to self-copy (material costs are about €500). That way it's accessible to small communities in the developing world as well as individuals in the developed world. Following the principles of the Free Software Movement we are distributing the RepRap machine at no cost to everyone under the GNU General Public Licence. So, if you have a RepRap machine, you can use it to make another and give that one to a friend... "

Any 3D object made of plastic can be printed by the machine, and the next version will be able to print conductive material, meaning it can make working circuitry. Imagine being able to download and print a replacement circuit board for a broken electrical appliance, CPU upgrade or even design and create an entirely new machine in 3D and then print out the components for it. As the complexity of the machine and what it's capable of increase, I think it has potentional to revolutionise the home environment and break the dependence on mass produced goods.