Frankfurt is getting ready to host the world’s largest 3D printing and Additive Manufacturing (AM) event once again. From 18–21 November 2025, Formnext will transform the Messe Frankfurt exhibition halls into a showcase of innovation, collaboration, and real-world applications across industries.
This year promises over 800 exhibitors, including some of the biggest names in the AM world alongside a healthy mix of start-ups and research groups. Expect plenty of world premieres, live demonstrations, and a packed programme across aviation, aerospace, engineering, jewellery, watches, and more.
Spain takes centre stage as the partner country for 2025, bringing around 30 companies to Frankfurt. The Spanish AM sector has been growing rapidly and plays an interesting role as a link between Europe and Latin America, particularly strong in systems, materials, and research.
The Gadget Man will be attending formnext
The supporting programme looks just as impressive as the show floor itself. Three stages will run throughout the event, each with a different focus: industry trends, real-world applications, and the latest technologies. Seminars, talks, and showcases will cover everything from large-format 3D printing to data-driven design and construction AM. Add to that the Formnext Awards, start-up pitches, career opportunities, and networking events, and it’s clear this isn’t just an exhibition – it’s the meeting point for the global AM community.
I’ll be there on Tuesday 18 November for the Press Breakfast and then I’m looking forward to catching up with many of the 800 companies, checking out the latest announcements and exploring the halls. It’s always fascinating to see how far the technology has come, and this year looks set to offer plenty of inspiration.
Tickets are available now from formnext.com/visitors, with an early-bird discount running until 21 October.
In a bold move to position the UK as a global leader in artificial intelligence, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle have unveiled a new AI plan.
The strategy aims to harness the nation’s strengths in talent, research, and innovation, while addressing key challenges that could limit the UK’s potential. But is this a game-changer for the UK’s tech future? The Social Market Foundation (SMF) seems to think so.
Ambition Meets Reality
Sam Robinson, AI Policy Lead and Senior Researcher at the SMF, welcomes the government’s ambitious vision. He notes, “The UK can be one of the top three world leaders on artificial intelligence…we now need the right infrastructure and regulation.”
Sam Robinson – Image Credit https://www.smf.co.uk/people/sam-robinson/
While the UK may not match the AI powerhouses of the US and China in sheer scale, the government’s strategy aims to carve out a niche by embracing pro-innovation policies and shying away from the over-regulated approach of the EU. This signals a clear shift from the previous government’s cautious focus on safety, recognising the need for agility and adaptability in a rapidly evolving field.
Challenges Ahead: Energy, Infrastructure, and Regulation
Robinson points out critical hurdles that could stifle progress if not addressed decisively:
High Energy Costs: The “absurdly high cost of industrial electricity” is a significant barrier, particularly as data centres—the backbone of AI infrastructure—are power-hungry operations.
Delays in Planning and Grid Connections: The sluggish pace of grid upgrades and planning approvals is throttling the development of data centres, potentially putting the UK at a disadvantage compared to more agile competitors.
Copyright Consultation: The government’s ongoing consultation on AI and copyright laws is another make-or-break issue. If the outcome imposes excessive costs or creates uncertainty, it could deter investment and hinder the ability of UK-based companies to train advanced AI models.
The Public Sector: A Unique Opportunity
Where the UK may have a competitive edge is in demonstrating how AI can transform public services. From healthcare to local government, the UK could lead the way in applying AI to improve efficiency and outcomes. As Robinson suggests, “The UK is uniquely well placed to demonstrate how AI can improve the productivity and quality of public services.”
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has already been making waves, building a reputation as someone who understands the transformative potential of AI. His leadership could play a pivotal role in ensuring the UK capitalises on this opportunity.
AI: The Next Industrial Revolution?
The parallels between AI and the industrial revolution are impossible to ignore. As Robinson highlights, “Countries that modernise will be much better placed than those that get left behind.” While the government’s strategy is still light on specific policy details, the direction is clear: embrace innovation, seize opportunities, and address risks pragmatically.
Of course, challenges remain. How the government balances innovation with ethical considerations, energy demands, and fair regulation will ultimately determine whether this vision becomes reality.
A Bright Future for AI in the UK?
The UK’s AI strategy sets an ambitious tone, but action will be needed to match the rhetoric. Addressing energy costs, streamlining infrastructure planning, and fostering an attractive environment for investment and talent will be key to achieving the lofty goal of becoming a top-three AI leader.
As the government moves forward, the public sector may well become the proving ground for AI’s potential to revolutionise lives. The world will be watching to see if the UK can strike the right balance between ambition and practicality.
What are your thoughts on the government’s AI strategy? Is the UK ready to lead in this fast-paced and transformative field? Let us know in the comments below!
Does this align with the tone and perspective you’d like to convey? Let me know if you’d like to refine any part of it further!
OpenAI’s Sora is a new AI tool designed to expand the possibilities of artificial intelligence applications. As a product of OpenAI’s ongoing research and development, Sora aims to make advanced AI technologies more accessible to a broad range of users, including those in education, healthcare, and entertainment sectors.
Sora distinguishes itself with a focus on adaptability, learning from complex data to offer predictions and insights with high accuracy. It incorporates advanced machine learning algorithms, highlighting its capacity for continuous evolution and improvement.
Key to Sora’s development is an ethical framework that prioritizes privacy, security, and fairness, addressing some of the most pressing concerns in AI deployment today.
Overall, Sora represents OpenAI’s commitment to advancing AI in a responsible and user-friendly manner, offering a tool that combines innovative technology with a strong ethical foundation.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, it’s no surprise that many businesses and individuals are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help them with various tasks, including writing blog posts. AI technology has come a long way in recent years, and it has the potential to help bloggers save time and improve the quality of their content.
Using AI to write blog posts – created by Midjourney
One of the biggest advantages of using AI to write blog posts is that it can help save time. Rather than spending hours researching, outlining, writing, and editing a blog post, you can use AI to quickly generate high-quality content. This can be especially useful if you’re crunched for time or if you need to produce a large volume of content on a regular basis.
Another advantage of using AI to write blog posts is that it can help improve the quality of your content. AI technology can analyze your existing content and use that information to generate new posts that are similar in style and tone. This can be especially useful if you want to maintain a consistent voice and tone throughout your blog. Additionally, AI can use natural language processing to ensure that your content is well-written and easy to read.
Of course, using AI to write blog posts is not without its challenges. One of the biggest challenges is that AI technology is not yet capable of fully replicating human creativity and intuition. As a result, your AI-generated content may not always be as engaging or original as content that is written by a human. Additionally, AI technology is still in its early stages, and it may not always produce error-free content.
Despite these challenges, using AI to write blog posts can be a valuable tool for bloggers who are looking to save time and improve the quality of their content. As AI technology continues to advance, it’s likely that we’ll see even more sophisticated tools that can help bloggers generate high-quality content quickly and easily. In the meantime, it’s worth considering using AI to write blog posts if you’re looking for ways to streamline your content creation process and produce high-quality content on a regular basis.
This post was written by ChatGPT (AI)
Tags produced by ChatGPT (AI)
Images created using Midjourney (AI)
All pasted by Matt Porter The Gadget Man (Human)
I was hugely excited to be invited to London yesterday to take part in the Hyundai Drive Different Test. During the day, I had the opportunity to drive both a Petrol and Electric powered Hyundai Kona around the streets of Finsbury Park and Highgate.
You can watch the video below or listen in to the podcast episode!
During the test, my eyes and head were tracked by specialist cameras, my heart rate was measured and the pressure-sensitive steering wheel was monitored. The cars themselves had custom-built computers on-board monitoring the vehicle itself and all this data was fed back to Hyundai’s servers to give me two driving scores for the petrol and electric cars.
Kona Electric – Photo Credit: Hyundai
This was following research by Hyundai which revealed that there are 36,750 different ways to drive a vehicle!
The company got together with University of Warwick’s Dr Mark Hadley and driving expert Gary Lamb in which they devised the Drive Different Test (DDT). The test was to mark the growth that Hyundai has made in the alternative fuel marketplace of hydrogen, hybrid and pure electric vehicles.
Hyundai’s Drive Different Test – Photo Credit: Hyundai
The test compares a variety of driving styles in a range of vehicles including alternative fuel models. By using pupil tracking, facial recognition and of course artificial intelligence (AI), the test can accurately measure drivers skills under different conditions.
Hyundai researched 2000 drivers habits and have produced a report that identifies common styles with the top five listed below.
Confident – 28%
Fair and measured – 24%
Calm – 19%
Nervous – 7%
Aggressive – 7%
Men were more likely to label themselves as confident drivers (31%) than women (25%), while women were more likely to describe themselves as ‘nervous’ behind the wheel.
“We’ve found we all drive differently, with thousands of different styles, but we all can be united by a common cause of driving cleaner and preparing our cities for a zero-emission future.” – Sylvie Childs, senior product manager at Hyundai – Photo Credit: Hyundai
The survey also looked at AFV owners specifically, and their attitude to driving, and found that;
92 per cent say they never beep at another driver
Over two-fifths (42%) slow down and let buses move in front of them
Over one third (37%) always ensure they thank other drivers on the road
But it wasn’t all generosity and courtesy on the road for AFV drivers. One fifth (20%) ‘amber gamble’ and speed up on an amber light to get through the traffic lights.
Gary Lamb said: “There are many things that impact someone’s driving style, their technical skill of course but also confidence, experience and even the music they listen to and until they actually get behind the wheel you can never predict which way it will go. Over my 25 years as a driving instructor, I’ve seen them all. What’s interesting now is that alternatively fuelled vehicles are also affecting our driving style.
“As 2040 draws nearer, and our cities and motorways fill with zero-emission capable vehicles, I’m excited to see how the way we drive will change, hopefully for the better.”
Sylvie Childs, senior product manager at Hyundai added: “Our research, along with the growth in sales figures, shows there is a real appetite for low and zero-emission vehicles in the UK. With this campaign, we hope to educate the public on how they can drive cleaner and more efficiently, whether they keep their current petrol vehicle or are in the market for an electric model like the KONA Electric or IONIQ Electric.
“We’ve found we all drive differently, with thousands of different styles, but we all can be united by a common cause of driving cleaner and preparing our cities for a zero-emission future.”
