In additive manufacturing processes, it’s all about speed and precision, and a group of researchers at Northwestern University think creating ceramic fuel cells with 3D printing technology will lead to new fuel cell designs capable of converting a gas into electricity.
We’ve covered many stories in which 3D printing has aided in the planning of surgeries, with patient-specific, 3D printed models cutting surgery time drastically by providing doctors with a detailed visual representation of the areas in which they are about to operate. Today, however, we report on the first time that the practice has been implemented in the risky procedure of separating conjoined twins.
Let it be known that a physical disability has never prevented the determined musician from pursuing their passion. My preferred example is history’s greatest guitarist, Django Reinhardt, who, after a fire paralyzed the third and fourth fingers on his left hand, used only his index and middle fingers to be one of the fastest, yet most elegant jazz guitarist the world has ever known.
Violet Pietrok was born with a Tessier Cleft, a rare defect that left a fissure in her skull. Surgeons at Boston Children’s Hospital, aided by 3-D prints of her skull, hope to repair the damage.
The human mechanism is capable of some amazing functions, but this one boggles the mind. Researchers are saying they’ve developed 3D printed iron–manganese structures for use as bone scaffold material and it actually biodegrades inside the body when their work is done.
It’s the greatest fear of them all, for the wives and family members of construction workers, police officers, firemen, and military servicemen. Each year, thousands of blue collar workers are severely hurt, and many times killed in work related accidents. These accidents occur at random and oftentimes there is no one at fault.
Bradley White, 16, was suffering from an irregular heartbeat. The medical staff at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital was proceeding cautiously as they knew the problem was being caused by a tumor on his heart. Doctors found the tumor when Bradley was three. Having enduring a childhood rife with surgeries (several open-heart) and the insertion of a defibrillator implanted to protect him from sudden cardiac death as a young child, obviously there was more than enough reason to take extra precautions.
A team of nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego have published their work on a 3D printed device which functions much like the human liver to remove dangerous toxins from the blood.
Just a couple of years ago Fanny, a 16-year-old Swedish teenager, was facing a life in a wheelchair. She suffers from a rare degenerative condition causing skeletal deformities. Fortunately now Fanny is on her way to recovery, with the help of a customised 3D Printed hip implant. Check the video below for details:
Only a few years ago, the simple act of feeding herself or hugging her mother would have eluded a child born like Hannah. But in the age of 3D printing one little girl has discovered that anything is possible. Hannah was born with a condition called arthrogryposis, a disorder characterized by severe joint and muscle weakness, and she has had little to no ability to move or interact with the world around her without help.
The BIOFABRIS is a National Institute of S&T in Biomanufacturing of multidisciplinary,
located at the Chemical Engineering Campus of UNICAMP, character that aims to integrate computational tools, synthesis and development of new biomaterials and application of engineering techniques to obtain biomedical devices (prostheses and orthopedic orthoses) and substitutes for live biological tissues or defective or missing human organs.