显然，随着技术的不断进步，由此产生的机器和系统要么已经出现，要么即将出现在全球越来越多的前沿领域。一些新兴技术有可能彻底改变社会格局，对我们今天所了解和理解的商业、财务、旅游、通信和生活将产生重大影响。当我们达到技术临界点时，破坏将会更加频繁地发生并产生更大的影响。
麦肯锡全球研究院在2013年发布的另一份报告为预测这些颠覆性技术提供了一个基准。报告为《颠覆性技术：将改变生活、商业和全球经济的进步》（Disruptive Technologies: Advances That Will Transform Life，Business，and the Global Economy），报告根据现有数据确定了在不久的将来可能对社会、商业和经济造成最大破坏和改变的十二大技术进步。该研究院关注这些技术在发展过程中带来的好处和挑战。许多已命名的技术（如云计算、物联网、3D打印和基因组学）已经产生了影响，而其他一些技术（如自动驾驶汽车、知识工作的自动化、能源存储和其他技术等）则即将产生影响。
最重要的是，我们正在全球范围内经历着一系列似乎无穷无尽的沙子供应（新的发展），这些沙子很快就会填满天平上石头对面的盘子（标准结构）。一旦其中任何一个增长达到临界质量，天平将顷刻倾斜，并引起重大变化，而这些变化反过来会产生一系列的破坏。
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斯特拉迪（Strati）为世界首款3D打印汽车的名字。由本地汽车公司打造，整辆汽车的零件成本约为3 500美元，制作周期为44个小时，其最高时速可以达到80千米/时。——译者注
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