A Starfleet replicator in action. (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

"Eventually, integrated personal digital fabricators comparable to the personal computer do not yet exist, but they will. Personal fabrication has already been around for years as a science-fiction staple. When the crew of the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation was confronted by a particularly challenging plot development, they could use the onboard replicator to make whatever they needed. Scientists at a number of labs (including mine) are now working on the real thing, developing processes that can place individual atoms and molecules into whatever structure they want." -- Neil Gershenfeld, "How to Make Almost Anything"
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