Tecnologia al Festival

Dovendo riflettere su quale tecnologia sia presente al Festival di Sanremo, ci si accorge che ogni aspetto della manifestazione è attraversato dall’innovazione. A partire dal mezzo con cui lo si segue: inizialmente la radio, poi la televisione e oggi qualsiasi dispositivo connesso a Internet, che permette di ascoltare e vedere il Festival in streaming ovunque ci si trovi.

Anche dal punto di vista musicale è evidente l’impronta della tecnologia. L’evoluzione dei suoni nel tempo è stata resa possibile dal perfezionamento degli strumenti tradizionali e dalla nascita di nuovi strumenti, come i sintetizzatori, che hanno aperto la strada alla musica elettronica e a nuove modalità espressive.

Un altro grande elemento distintivo del Festival è la scenografia, governata dalla regia come un’enorme macchina in continuo movimento. Negli anni siamo stati abituati a spettacolari soluzioni sceniche: imponenti ledwall, scale che compaiono e scompaiono, strutture che si trasformano in tempo reale. Tutti elementi resi possibili dal progresso tecnico e dall’integrazione tra ingegneria e regia televisiva.

Nell’ultima edizione del Festival un ulteriore elemento tecnologico è approdato nella Città dei Fiori: l’intelligenza artificiale. Durante una delle serate, l’AI ha trasformato i presenti al Teatro Ariston in paperi, in quella che si è rivelata una trovata pubblicitaria di un’azienda intenzionata a ritagliarsi uno spazio in questo nuovo mercato. Tuttavia, il risultato è apparso piuttosto maldestro e tecnicamente acerbo, soprattutto se confrontato con il livello di qualità e realismo che le tecnologie di intelligenza artificiale sono oggi in grado di offrire.

In conclusione, il Festival di Sanremo non è soltanto un evento musicale, ma anche una vetrina dell’evoluzione tecnologica: un luogo in cui innovazione e spettacolo si incontrano, contribuendo a rinnovare ogni anno un appuntamento che unisce tradizione e ingegno.

Un'astronave sul palco di Sanremo 2012

BLU

Voce: blu

Descrizione: 630–650 THz

Immagine: 

Personaggio dei fumetti:

Baricentro: Profondità

Romanzo: "Le mille e una notte"

Citazione: “Egli mirava tutti come in sogno: sogno tanto vero a suo riguardo, cui quello che vedeva gli pareva che non lo fosse.”

Canzone:“Rhapsody in Blue” di George Gershwin (1924)

The Fear of Losing Control

When reflecting on the concept of fear in additive manufacturing, one of the first images that comes to mind is that of a defective product, a part that did not form as intended, that deformed, collapsed, or failed during production as the one showed in the picture below (https://www.mdpi.com/2214006).

This image is more than a technical error. It is a physical manifestation of fear itself: the fear of failure, of wasted time and material, of lost energy and effort, fear of not having control.

Technology has made us believe we have control over our environment and the material world, and we rely on it to extend that control. When technology fails, even briefly, it exposes our vulnerability and evokes the fear of losing that control.

The defective object becomes a reminder that uncertainty and unpredictability are always part of the human-technology relationship.

Fencing and the Grip of Innovation

While attending a fencing match a few days ago, I realized that fencing, despite being a very old sport, is deeply intertwined with technology that has reshaped the sport and continues to help athletes push their limits. Beyond the obvious and visible technology, such as the electronic systems for touch detection, there are other advancements hidden in the bell guard and lying in the hand of the fencer: the grip.

Over the years, the grip has evolved to fit the fencer’s hand, allowing the weapon to be perceived as an extension of the arm and improving the athlete’s connection with it. Today, its design is being further enhanced by Additive Manufacturing. On the market, 3D-printed grips with refined shapes, optimized for lightweight performance and comfort, are now available, showing how even small components of traditional sports equipment are sites of technological innovation.

Seeing how 3D-printed grips subtly shape the fencer’s experience made me think about the materials and processes behind them—especially since sustainability in Additive Manufacturing is part of my research:

• Does it use recyclable or recycled materials?

• Does it extend the life of objects, or accelerate their obsolescence because they are “perfectible”?

• Does it create new value chains and streams of waste?

Observing these grips on the fencing strip reminded me that even small technological choices carry consequences, shaping not only performance but also the environmental and social footprint of the objects we rely on.

Sport as Fun and Connection

 

I selected this comic strip because it captures sport as a convivial and humorous moment, showing how physical activity is not only about competition or exercise, but also about social interaction and enjoyment. The exaggerated expressions and playful scenario highlight how sport allows people to release stress, bond with others, and share laughter, reflecting the anthropological dimension of sport as a cultural practice that shapes human relationships and emotions.

Tracking the Rise of Sustainability and Additive Manufacturing in Books

It was interesting to find that by analyzing trends in published books, we can uncover how certain ideas and technologies gain attention over time. Using Google Ngram data, this post highlights two striking examples: the dramatic rise of sustainability since the 1970s, reflecting growing cultural and environmental awareness, and the more recent emergence of Additive Manufacturing as a specialized industrial innovation, appearing alongside the decline of traditional machining.

Sustainability seems a relatively modern concept in mainstream literature, but once it appears, it becomes a dominant and accelerating theme—likely driven by environmental awareness, policy, and global discourse. While Additive Manufacturing is a young, technical term that hasn’t (yet) entered general discourse at scale.

From this second graph, instead appears that Machining has a long history and peaks around the mid-20th century and decline after 2000. While Additive manufacturing rises exactly when machining declines—but does not replace it in volume. This suggests technological diversification, not substitution. Additive Manufacturing emerges as a complementary or disruptive technology, but traditional machining remains dominant.