That makes two of us: How bioengineers are using 3D printing to create body parts
Bioengineers are using the latest 3-D printing technology to create bones, body parts and, in the future, organs for transplant, writes David Tan
It was used to create haute couture dresses at January's Paris Fashion week, Valentine's Day chocolates in the shape of a person's face in Japan and, possibly soon - the European Space Agency is toying with this idea - a lunar base on the moon.
The sky's the limit with three-dimensional printing, and it's revolutionising fields from industrial manufacturing to architecture.
Medicine has a huge scope for making use of the process. Last week, a man in the US had 75 per cent of his damaged skull replaced with a custom-made implant produced by a 3-D printer. "We see no part of the orthopaedic industry being untouched by this," says Scott DeFelice, president of Oxford Performance Materials, which made the implant.
The implant, approved last month by the US Food and Drug Administration, was made using a high performance polymer that is biomechanically similar to bone. The company plans to create other bones such as femurs, knee caps and hips.
Also known as additive manufacturing, 3-D printing is a process of making solid objects from a digital model. An object is created by laying down successive layers of plastic, ceramics, glass or metal.
Last month, a team from Cornell University in the US unveiled their artificial ear.