[Blindmath] anyone heard of 3-D printing?

[qubit]

This one caught me by surprise the other day on a talk show.
I listened, then googled "3-D printer" and got some fascinating hits. 
Apparently there are printers available that produce high resolution 3-D 
plastic objects from digital input models.
It is also called additive manufacturing or plastic holography.
But that's not all, the price of one of these units is as low as $499.
Try googling -- it is an interestiing read.
I couldn't help but think of possible uses by blind persons.
On the tv interview they demo'd the unit and described how this technology 
has been used and misused.  For example, some people have used it to create 
plastic handguns, which are illegal as they look so much like the real 
thing.
He also demo'd creating a plastic apple.
There is a lot more on the internet.

Anyway, am I behind the times, or has anyone else heard of 3-D printers?
I want one :)
--le