Another industrial revolution is coming
In a 5-15 year perspective a radical paradigm change in the full cycle of consumer service-products will become mature.
Continuous progress in the price/performance ratio of computing equipment (see R. Kurzweil, ‘The singularity is near’), the transition from a ‘browsing’ internet to internet computing, the parallel constant reduction of manufacturing costs and progress in cognition sciences will all define a new paradigm.
We should look at a highly connected and highly distributed WW supply system seen as a massive loosely coupled network of networks seamlessly merging ‘information’, material management/procurement/transformation and energy production/distribution.
Coopetition-based, swarm intelligence is widely extending the network robot concepts.
The manufacturing facilities should range from personal autonomous fabricators based on tiny autonomous personal factories (merging 3D printers, algorithmic assemblers, personal robots, etc.), to massive adaptive ‘server’ factories for mass-scaled production of ‘components’, (namely chips or generic nanoengineered films/tissue) ranging from server farms (a la Google but more close to strong AI) and distributed factories for big items like airplanes/car ‘skeletons' to local assembling units customizing at personal level anything from cars to fridges.
Swarm intelligence eco/bio inspired systems should connect, in the physical and cyber world, consumers and intelligent service agents, negotiating between demand and supply, constantly and adaptively managing the available resources (material, energy).
A totally new sustainable ecology of service/products can emerge and many unpleasant jobs may become more enjoyable and maybe will favor more self-fulfillment.