UC physicist using 3D printing to solve the mysteries of the universe

Having revolutionised a whole lot of other scientific disciplines, 3D printing technology is now set to make its mark on astronomy. A physicist at the University of California (UC), Riverside, is using 3D printing technology to solve the mysteries of the universe.

Miguel Aragón-Calvo, a visiting assistant researcher in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is trying to understand the entire cosmic gamut -- from their evolution to the formation of galaxies in the universe -- with the help of 3D printing.

"These problems in cosmology are very difficult to visualise, even using computer graphics," Miguel Aragón-Calvo told Phys Org. Furthermore, he said that he is using 3D printing to interact directly with the models and “see the problem at once.”

Aragón-Calvo’s latest research involves development of an automated method to identify and track the cosmic web across time in computer simulations. He printed a simple 2D simulation in 3D and assigned the third dimension to time.

This helped him conclude that tridimensional cosmic structures can be easily identified and tracked as four-dimensional objects, where time is taken as another spatial variable.

“Babies learn by observing and touching, even placing objects in their mouth in order to gain more information,” Aragón-Calvo explains, reports the Phys Org. “Similarly, by touching a 3D-printed model, by turning it over in your hands, we can often acquire the kind of information that our visual sense alone cannot provide."

3D technology has already transformed other areas of scientific discovery and development including smartphones, drones and automobiles. It is now being extensively used to transform how electronics are manufactured and consumed, according to Dassault Systemes.

According to IBN Live, Chandan Chowdhury, Managing Director-India of the Dassault Systemes says that his company has developed the platform and applications for transforming the consumer electronics manufacturing landscape.

The company will showcase its virtual universe technology at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, during Jan 6-9, 2016.

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