More 3D implants on the way.

Printing bones and joints seems to be an important application  for 3D printing. A woman in Belgium got her jawbone printed and replaced with a titanium implant.

Feb 6, 2012. NS -- By using an MRI scan of their patient's ailing jawbone to get the shape right, they fed it to a laser sintering 3D printer which fused tiny titanium particles layer by layer until the shape of her jawbone was recreated. It was then coated in a biocompatible ceramic layer. No detail was spared: it even had dimples and cavities that promoted muscle attachment, and sleeves that allowed mandibular nerves to pass through - plus support structures for dental implants the patient might need in future.

I wonder how long will it take to figure out how to print neurons or their equivalent, so that motor and sensory functions can be restored in, e.g. paraplegics.

 tags: health, detection, information, control, biology