3D Printing Saves Baby’s Life

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the implant

The 3D printed tube inserted into Kaiba. [Photo Source: MailOnline]

Another medical success which is attributed to 3D printing surfaced again. Apparently, the technology was able to save a baby’s life.

The Patient

Kaiba Gionfriddo has a very rare condition that occurred when he was just 6 weeks old. The condition caused him to stop breathing from time to time. So, when he was brought to the doctor, he was diagnosed with tracheobronchomalacia.

Tracheobronchomalacia is a very rare ailment that is characterized by a weak windpipe which collapses every now and then. This prevents the proper flow of air in and out of the lungs.

In the case of Kaiba, it was so severe that it caused even his heart to stop beating. Thus, a tube was placed in his trachea to aid his breathing. He was also put on a ventilator as a support. However, this seemed to be just a temporary remedy because his life-threatening issue continued.

The Cure

Not to be deterred, his parents turned to the research of Michigan doctors which involved artificial airway splints. But the problem is that it was never tested on a patient yet.

Nevertheless, the parents saw the situation as life-threatening for their young boy so they agreed on it. Upon their approval, the doctors immediately started 3D printing layers of plastic to come up with an artificial airway for Kaiba.

With the approval of the Food and Drug Administration the next day, the operation of Kaiba was set into motion. The 3D printed material was inserted on the baby. After that, the medical personnel noted that the baby was breathing normally for the first time.

Now

Kaiba is now 19 months old and is as healthy as ever. [Photo Source: MailOnline]

Kaiba is now 19 months old and is as healthy as ever. [Photo Source: MailOnline]

A year has passed since Kaiba’s operation and he never had a breathing problem ever since said his parents through the news source. His pediatrician assured that he continues to be healthy since his operation.

A Permanent Solution

Despite the success, Dr. John Brent from New York said that only time will tell if the 3D printed tube inserted in the boy can provide a permanent solution because it is only made of plastic. However, the report pointed out that the splint is capable of growing as the child does due to its carefully placed slits along its length.

Source: MailOnline

3D Printer Prints Bionic Ear

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3D printed earToday, 3D printing is very advanced, popular. Scientists have been trying their best to make this nice technology as friendly as possible. Medical sector is one of the most well-known sectors where 3D printing technology is being used extensively. If you are not very familiar with 3D printers, then you will be amazed to know that mastectomy, new liver, new spine, etc. are being made or done using this state-of-the-art technology. Recently, scientists have made bionic ear using 3D printers.

In fact, this is not the first bionic ear. Earlier, bionic ear was made, but this one is special because it can pick radio signals! It sounds incredible, but it is true. Using silver nanoparticles and hydrogel this special bionic ear has been made.

But, this is not everything. Scientists have been looking forward to making other organs. For example, research is going on to make lungs that can work more effectively. Also, heart that can pump faster is going to be built. In fact, extensive research is going on to replace human body as accurately as possible. You will be amazed to know that this sophisticated technology is expected to make bionic products with more capacity than normal human! Another surprising news is that with the help of gene therapies, 3D printers could help human live more than 100 years.

For a layman, this might sound very weird, but it is not an impossible task for 3D printers. Already massive development has been done when it comes to human body replacement, though it is not enough. Lots of research is going on to make better, advanced bionic products. Chances are very high that we will see a lot of improvement in 3D printing technology as millions of dollars is being invested. Big companies like IBM, Sony, HP, etc. should come forward to make something special for human.

MIT and Harvard Come Up with Self-Assembling 3D-Printed Inchworm Robot

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[Photo Source: Inhabitat]

[Photo Source: Inhabitat]

Self-assembling robots are one of the recurring themes of science fiction stories. Usually, stories having self-aware robots always mean bad news at the end, just look at Michael Crichton’s novel called Prey. But regardless of what you can make out of the subject, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University researchers have successfully produced a 3D-printed inchworm robot that can automatically assemble itself according to Inhabitat.

Based on the report, the techno organism is capable of transforming itself into an inchworm-robot with the aid of shape memory polymers. Upon printing, it automatically folds itself into desired shapes from a flat 2D object. All these can be accomplished without the intervention of a human hand. Human involvement is only needed in the part where the battery and the motor have to be attached. After that, the fully functional walking inchworm-robot is complete.

The Goal of the Developers

The goal of the team of researchers is to make robots that can pro-create. This will make way for a cheaper and faster production, said the report. “Currently, the goal is just make a more complicated robot, and one that can fold itself and then walk away,” commented Sam Felton in his interview with YouTube.

Future Plans for the 3D-Printed Robot

Inhabitat stated that the last step to make the robot completely autonomous in terms of self-replication would be to enable it to attach the motor and battery all by itself. Felton revealed that the next-generation of robots will be more complex. Thus, they will already have pre-assembled batteries plus motors upon production. The researcher said that it would only take a little tinkering with each robot’s program to enable it to automatically pick and place its own mechanism and power.

Check out the images below for more photos of the self-replicating 3D-printed robot:

Source: Inhabitat

3D Printer Repairs Degenerative Spinal Discs

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3D printing spinal discs

3D printing is a great technology. When it comes to medical sector, 3D printing has always been great. Recently, 3D printing technology has been used to make degenerative spinal discs. We all know that back pain is a very common phenomenon for a lot of people. If the posture is not right, then chances are very high that he will face back pain in the near future. One of the main reasons of back pain is degenerative disc disease. According to a stat, about 30 million people in the USA have this critical disease.

To fix this problem, surgery is very common. Surely, surgery decreases the pain, but it limits flexibility of the patients. Also, surgery is not an easy solution for the patients. Scientists were trying to get a better solution than the existing surgery, and finally they have come up with something good. They can now repair discs.

Earlier, the professors at Cornell University created 3D printing ears for rats. Now, they have been trying to repair the spines of rats.

If bio printing is used with stem cells, then it can provide us with the result better than surgery. Within couple of weeks it becomes spinal disc tissue. If everything goes well, then chances are very high that we will get entire discs in the near future. It will be a great solution to those patients whose discs have been damaged greatly. For them, surgery is not a suitable method to fix the pain.

3D printing technology has always been very effective to medical sector. Earlier, scientists made bio printed cartilage to fix arthritis. Now, repairing degenerative discs is going well. We hope this research will be a successful one. If everything goes well, then millions of people in the world will get benefitted. Good luck 3D printing technology.

3D-Printed Handgun By Defense Distributed Now Complete

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The Liberator from Defcad. [Photo Source: Forbes]

The Liberator from Defcad. [Photo Source: Forbes]

3D printing has literally gone a long way. We have seen many household items, industrial materials, pharmaceutical products and even weapons come out of it. That’s just mentioning a few of the technology’s potentials.

Around eight months ago, Cody Wilson, a law student from the University of Texas, embarked on a quest to create his very own design of a 3D-printed handgun. And finally, he has succeeded. Next week, Wilson is set to release his masterpiece called The Liberator according Forbes. But now, the blueprints of the 3D-printed handgun is already in Defense Distributed’s online database in the Defcad site.

The Specs

Based on the Forbes report, all the sixteen parts of the Liberator prototype made use of ABS plastic and it was created using Dimension SST printer of Stratasys. The only metal necessary for the operation of the product is a nail that functions as its firing pin. Although the Liberator is a handgun and it is initially designed to make use of standard pistol rounds, the barrel can be interchanged to cater to different calibers of ammos.

Political Backlash

Again, the action of Wilson got a heated reaction from critics, especially from Congressman Steve Israel. A separate news from the source stated that the legislator proposed a bill to include a specific ban on 3D-printed guns under the Undetectable Firearms Act. The said law aims to disallow possession of any kind of weapon that can’t be sensed by a metal detector or X-ray devices.

But being a law student, Wilson somehow found a way to circumvent the rule because he attached a six-ounce piece of steel in the body of the 3D-printed gun for the purpose only of detection in metal sensors. Last March, he also acquired a license to become a legal gun producer.

Of course, this does not guarantee that Defcad’s users will follow the rules set by the law, added Forbes. This is because they are free to remove or modify the metal parts so the weapon can become totally invisible to metal detectors. In addition, they can manufacture their own guns too without serial numbers and other requirements of the law like licenses or permits.

Source: Forbes

3D Printer Prints Liver Tissue

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3D printed tissue

Medical science is very complex. Lots of research is going on this sector. Billions of dollars are being spent every year to get a better solution. Like other technology, 3D printing technology has been doing well when it comes to medical research. You may have heard the name of a very famous 3D printing company Organovo. This company has been trying its best to make our lives better. Extensive research is going on in this company. It does bioprinting and bioengineering very well. In fact, it is the best 3D printer company when it comes to medical research. The research could save millions of people every year.

Human organs are very complex so are the cells. Liver is also a very complex, complicated organ. It is a very important organ for human body. Scientists have been trying hard and soul to make liver cells, and finally Organovo has come up with something good. It made liver cells using 3D printing technology. No doubt it is great news for all of us. Earlier no company could make such advanced liver cells. It can replicate liver tissues better than all other companies.

This is only the beginning. Chances are very high that we will see complete 3D printed liver in the near future. The data which was found during creating 3D printed liver cells will be used for drug discovery and development.

These 3D printed cells are really effective. They are much better than 2D liver cells. They are not mono layer; they have 20 cell layers. They can reproduce multi cellular tissue, and they are made of cells and proteins. In fact, they look and feel like original human liver tissues.

Already, scientists have started mission to make 3D printed liver. At first, research will be going on animals. Then , we hope they will come up with something special—3D printed human liver.

Filastruder Project Set To Go

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the filastruder

An amazing feat was achieved by Tim Elmore in his Filastruder project campaign. Using the Kickstarter website, he was able to generate $212,278 from 875 donors from March 25, 2013 up to April 24, 2013.

The PhD student from the University of Florida originally intended to raise only $5,000 for his project and he set out a month to accomplish this. The target was easily reached within a few weeks. But after that, backers still kept on coming in until the staggering funding amounting $212,278 was reached.

Although this achievement is not very rare in Kickstarter, not everything featured there gets the same attention as his product. It just shows that 3D printing is undergoing rapid growth and the demand for its raw materials is also rising.

About the Project

I published a similar story before about the Filastruder in one tech news site. But during that time, it was just three days before the expiration of its funding period. However, during that time, it already raked around $207,000 which is as good as a go signal for the project.

But what is the hype all about anyway? Why is it receiving too much attention?

Basically, the Filastruder stands for filament extruder, which already gives us an idea what it is capable of. This promises to provide 3D printing enthusiasts a way to manufacture their own raw materials for making 3D products. The function of this machine will effectively reduce the cost associated to developing 3D projects.

A Cheaper Alternative

Since the Filastruder only makes use of pellets and even Nylon (based on an update published by the developer), this will cut down the cost of materials greatly. According to Elmore, the filament used for 3D printing by Makerbot costs between $40 to $50 per kilogram, which could drain your wallet easily. However, this could go down to approximately $5 per kilogram with the use of pellets.

You can check the product’s official website by clicking this link.

Sources: The Droid Guy and Kickstarter

The Mobot: A Great 3D Printed Robot

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mobot

Today, 3D printers are very powerful. They can make even robots using state-of-the-art technology. These robots are being used in many sectors including educational sector. This is a great achievement for 3D printers and robots in terms of cost and accessibility. Mobot kit, made by Barobo, is cheaper than many robots. It has become a great educational tool for students of different levels.

This great robot was designed at UC Davis. It has become a great tool for research and education. Middle school, high school, and college students are getting benefited from this 3D printed excellent robot. It is a fantastic hands on education and fun education tool. Chances are very high that every student will like this robot.

Mobot looks simple yet robust. It is a modular robot, so few robots can be added to make a very complex robot easily. To increase mobility, wheels, grippers, etc. can be used.

Mobot is also customizable. With some programming it can be improved. Also, outlook can be changed. If sensors are added, then it becomes very smart. It can have some ideas on its surroundings. Mobot is controlled by wireless Bluetooth technology which makes it an easy-to-use robot.

Graham Ryland, co-founder of Barobo, is very excited about this nice, sophisticated, beneficial robot. He believes they should focus on manufacturing rather than assembling. If it happens, then it will be really great for 3D industry.

3D printers are great. Since its inception, it has been doing many wonderful things. No doubt Mobot is a very smart 3D printed robot. We hope it will get improved a lot in the future. This type of robot will upgrade the quality of education. Investors should invest in this sector to upgrade education level which will be good for 3D printing technology and education. Good luck 3D printers!

3D-Printed Home To Be Built In Amsterdam

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KamerMaker

The interior of the KamerMaker. [Photo Source: GizMag]

3D-printing has gone a long way since the patent of the technology has expired and it was made available to a wide spectrum of users through open-source. We have read reports of guns, miniature aircrafts, drugs, body parts and other materials being produced out of 3-printing. Based on the examples, it is easy to imagine the manufacture of small scale objects using this process, but the production of a building using the procedure is unheard by many.

According to BBC News, an Amsterdam-based company called Dus Architects, together with a group of international architects, is now looking to build a 3D-printed home. The house that they are looking to build will be located just beside the canal. The home will serve as an education center to advocate 3D-printing.

The group will be making use of the KamerMaker to put the project into a reality said the news source. The meaning behind the name of the machine is “room maker” (in Dutch language). The hardware has a metal exterior made of thick material coming from a used shipping container. The dimension of the KamerMaker is 6 meters which could easily occupy a small room and fit 3 people said the BBC interviewer who saw the machine.

The external portion of the building’s walls will utilize a combination of plastic materials and wood fibers. Everything in the exterior walls, ceilings, dividers for each room and furniture will make use of the 3D-printing technology. Since it is hard to come up with a massive structure, the materials are printed one at a time and per layer.

In addition to the architects, the firm will be employing computer scientists to help with the tools. The target for the fully-produced front of the 3D-printed house is expected to be completed by the end of 2013. Despite the wide expertise of its manpower, the completed building might take a couple of years, the architects revealed.

Source: BBC News

3D-Printed Headhones Developed By J.C. Karich To Provide Better Sound

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3d printed headphones

If you are fond of making something out of scraps and raw materials, then you may want to get hold of the nearest 3D printer and start making this 3D-printed headphones.

This headphones from J.C. Karich actually works like any industry-manufactured ear pieces. They combine 3D-printed materials with tape, wire, solder and magnets. This created an almost real-looking speaker pieces that have earplugs and a jack connector.

To connect it to your iPhone or Android phones, you must  purchase a separate power amplifier. This will allow the 3D-printed headphones to play music from just about any smartphone. According to Karich, the sound quality of these headphones is actually comparable to standard audio pieces.

To make this, Karich printed a 3D copy of an actual set of headphones. He then wrapped it with coiling copper wire and made space for a magnet. Even the audio jack is 3D-printed as well. He just connected a fabric connector for the headphones’ cord.

3D Printing is the Future

It is really amazing what one can do with a 3D printer these days. It doesn’t only work for advertising campaigns and marketing strategies, but it also improves the creativity of these tech experts. The ability to make something out of printed materials is something that the industry can hone and further develop.

Imagine the possibilities. Hardware will be much cheaper if developers can only improve the 3D-printing capabilities of existing devices today. Even a surgery done on a cancer patient in Britain was able to bring back his life through a 3D-printed face. There is so much promise brought by the 3D-printing technology.

The 3D-printed headphones is just another way to extol the advances of technology. It is also a way for us to see in the future, and define where this kind of technology can take us.

Sources: Inhabitat and Gizmodo