The first digital revolution was in communication, and the second digital revolution was in computation. Each of these allowed unreliable devices to operate reliably, transforming industries and economies. We’re now at the cusp of a third digital revolution, in fabrication, that is bringing the programmability of the digital world out into the physical world. The impact of this one will be even greater than the first two, fulfilling their promise by merging bits and atoms.

Prof. Gershenfeld, director of MIT’s pioneering Center for Bits and Atoms and one of the founders of the Internet of Things, will look back at insights from the last fifty years of the scaling of digital technologies, and look ahead to what’s coming in the next fifty years. Based on historical data, laboratory research, and commercial trends, he will explore its implications for how we will live, learn, work, and play in a world where anyone can make (almost) anything.