Open Bionics’ “Hero Arm”

Open Bionics, a company out of Bristol in the UK, created the Hero Arm, the first medically certified 3D printed myoelectric bionic hand. Open Bionics can scan the arm of any individual over the age of 8 to create a bespoke prosthesis that fits comfortably, is drastically more affordable than typical prosthetics and is also customizable. The wearer can choose from a number of different covers to get the colors and look that fits their personality. The company also partnered with Disney to create superhero themed hands for kids. These bionic arms have a multi-grip hand with 3 or 4 motors controlling its individual fingers and thumb. The prosthesis weighs 1kg and is able to lift up to 8kg/17.64lbs.

E-Nable’s Volunteer Network for Prosthetic Hands

E-Nable is a volunteer-based organization that pairs people with access to 3D printers with people who need prosthetic hands. Anyone can download one of the available designs to make one’s own device or be matched with a volunteer nearby who will print and assemble for someone else. People can also be directed to 3D printers nearby if they wish to print and build their own. Any of the designs can also be printed through Shapeways and shipped anywhere.

E-Nable began when Ivan Owen, a professional artist, created a metal hand with moving fingers for a steampunk convention. He then started working on designing prosthetic hands and working on a new hand for a young boy who was born without fingers. After realizing it would become very expensive to keep creating new hands as Liam grew, he turned to 3D printing. After a prototype was refined, the design for the hand was uploaded to the internet as an open-source file so that anyone in need could download it. More and more people became interested in helping to print these hands and a worldwide network of volunteers quickly grew. Now there are volunteers all over the world creating hands based on these designs. In 2018, the Million Waves Project teamed up with E-Nable to collect recycled plastic waste found on beaches and in the ocean to turn into filament for the creation of more prosthetic hands.

While the field of 3D printed prosthetics is still developing, it is already allowing for more people in need to have access to prosthetics. The affordability of 3D printing, especially with E-Nable’s community of volunteers means that children growing at a fast rate are able to change out their prosthetic hand when they need to. 3D printing also facilitates the participation of more people, the introduction of new designs and ideas and to make customized, special pieces that enhance people’s bodies and lives. If you would like to design and print your own prosthetic limb for someone in need, you can do so through Shapeways now.

The post Expanding the Reach of Prosthetics Through 3D Printing appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Since prosthetics companies and start-ups design 3D-printable prostheses from scratch, there is a design phase that has to occur before a prosthesis can be tested and medically certified. Like any new product, bionics and prosthetics require iterating through many prototypes. Since 3D printing is accurate, affordable, and able to quickly produce quality parts, it is perfect for rapid prototyping.

Prototyping

Research teams make extensive use of 3D printing when creating prostheses and bionics prototypes. Since bionic limb replacements can be complex devices, many tweaks and adjustments need to be made before a final design is reached.

Some prototypes are made to test functionality, and others are made to judge form and aesthetics. Take a prosthetic hand, for example. A functional prototype might aid in testing the motion of the fingers as they clench, while an aesthetic prototype might be used to visualize the overall shape of the prosthesis. For both of these purposes, 3D printing is the perfect prototyping solution. 3D printing allows design teams and researchers to quickly and efficiently crank out the next iteration of their project, making it easier to move their product into production.

After a base design is reached, a prosthesis still needs to be fitted to every patient individually, and this is when the prosthetic socket is required.

What is a Prosthetic Socket?

Prosthetic sockets connect patients to their prosthesis. Sockets are the interface between the skin of the patient and the rest of the prosthesis, so they must be comfortable for the patient while providing rigidity and support.

Sockets are typically designed by qualified prosthetists. Prosthetists are medical professionals who can design sockets that fit comfortably while meeting the specific needs of each patient. Traditionally, producing a socket begins with a lengthy visit with a prosthetist, where measurements are taken and specific needs are addressed. Then over the course of a few weeks, a test socket is created, the fitting is tested by the patient, and then a permanent socket is created based on the feedback from the user, as well as the observations of the prosthetist.

This production process is shifting toward the use of more advanced technologies, such as 3D scanning, in order to more easily capture the complex shape of a patient’s limb.

Custom Manufacturing

3D printing isn’t just good for creating prototypes. Some bionics companies include 3D printed components in their flagship products. For example, Open Bionics has developed a medically certified bionic arm named the “Hero Arm”.

The Hero Arm is a partially 3D printed bionic arm that is fitted to each patient on an individual basis. It allows users to select from a variety of grip patterns and it works by closing its fingers when it senses muscle contractions in the patient’s residual arm tissue.

Since the Hero Arm has to be custom-fitted to each patient, there are some components that need to be custom-made. One of these components is a flexible, ventilated socket that attaches the Hero Arm to the user’s remaining forearm.

Creating a custom 3D printed socket is achieved with a unique approach. Initially, a cast of the patient’s arm is created by a prosthetist. This cast captures every detail and will fit the patient without being too tight or too loose. This cast is then 3D scanned. The 3D scan is then sent to Open Bionics. Designers at Open Bionics will use the 3D scan and computer-aided design (CAD) software to create a custom socket model for each patient. This model is then 3D printed, and attached to the rest of the arm.

Many patients choose to get unique colors, textures, or even superhero designs on their arms, and this is also easily achieved with the help of 3D printing.

Prosthetics for Infants

Most prosthetic limbs are designed for older children, teens, and adults. For infants though, there are currently very few options. Infants and toddlers grow very rapidly, and they’ll quickly outgrow most prostheses. Many children also reject the use of a prosthetic limb, as they can be uncomfortable and frustrating to use. Children with early prosthetics experience will benefit later on because they will retain muscle function in their residual limb. They’ll also more easily adapt to new prosthetics later in life. As a former psychology teacher, Ben Ryan, the founder of Ambionics, knew all about the importance of early prosthesis training. Ben wanted his child Sol (who unfortunately lost most of his left arm) to be able to grow up using a controllable prosthetic hand.

The Ambionics arm is mostly 3D printed. It uses a unique, human-powered hydraulic mechanism, and it is designed for children who are quickly growing. Using 3D scanning technology and 3D printing, new arm sockets can be created and delivered within just a few weeks. This method is accurate and much faster than traditional methods which typically involve a long visit to the prosthetist and over a month of waiting before getting a socket which might not even fit correctly.

Ambionics (now partnered with Glaze Prosthetics) has the goal of delivering affordable, functional prosthetic hands to children and infants.

Looking to 3D print your medical parts? Shapeways offers a variety of materials that are perfect for both prototyping and end-use medical products.

The post Creating Prosthetic Limbs With 3D Printing appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

3D printed protein models by Biologic Models

3D printing medical applications are gaining tremendous momentum in the medical industry. As technology advances, 3D printers have progressed quickly, and the printing process is so precise that 3D printers can now even replicate the vascular systems needed to make organs viable. This technology is vital as over 114,000 people in the U.S. are on organ transplant waiting lists.

3D printing applications in medicine go well beyond recreating vascular systems. Here’s a look at the current various medical applications for 3D printing.

3D Printing Technology Commercially Available for Medical Applications

There are four primary uses of 3D printing in the medical industry today.

• Tissues and organoids
• Custom prosthetics
• Surgical instruments
• Surgical models that are specific to each patient

Scientists are currently researching how to manufacture organs such as a liver or heart using the 3D printing process. This technology is developing rapidly because of the necessity to find less expensive alternatives to current medical solutions. As a result, complex life-saving procedures are available to more people.

There are several available technologies currently used for 3D printing medical applications. Powder bed fusion is the one most commonly used to 3D print medical devices. Medical 3D printing uses this technology because of its compatibility with many materials used to make medical devices such as nylon and titanium.

Currently, the FDA has 3D printers that help them understand the capabilities of 3D printing for medical applications and how the general public can benefit from the industry’s use of this technology. They have other printing technologies along with 3D printing that they use to evaluate which parts of the workflows and processes of the printing affect the quality of the medical device once it’s finished.

Revolutionary 3D Printing Medical Application

Sometimes known as bioprinting, 3D printing is transforming the medical industry. It’s making surgical procedures faster and providing less-expensive solutions for creating prosthetic limbs and surgical tools.

3D printing is even replicating organoids and tissues, so physicians can learn more about how they function and the diseases that affect them.

Current 3D printing medical applications use imaging such as CT scans, MRI scans, X-Rays, and ultrasounds to create a digital model of the organ or tissue to be 3D printed. Physicians then upload scans to a 3D printer. Per Verdict Medical Devices, 3D printing for the medical field is forecasted to reach $3.5 billion by 2025. The main 3D printing medical applications are revolutionizing the medical field enhancing patient care.

Bioprinting- Organoids and Tissue Engineering

Physicians like surgeon Dr. Jason Chuen of the Austin Hospital in Melbourne say that 3D printing medical organs help doctors practice surgical procedures such as placing a stent in a heart. Dr. Chuen advised that with a model or organoid made from images of the actual patient, he could assess the bioprinted model much easier than the patient’s heart.

Evaluating the bioprinted model allowed him to make sure that the stent he would use was the correct size. Testing the size of a stent in a real patient clearly isn’t possible because of the invasiveness of the surgery. 3D printing technology makes this a viable option.

Organoids mimic actual organs only smaller opening up endless possibilities for everything from testing medical procedures to learning more about diseases. Medical companies such as Organovo are experimenting with 3D printing intestinal tissue and livers to study these organs in vitro and to help develop drug treatments for diseases.

The company announced in May 2018 that they had preclinical information on how liver tissue functions in a study of type one tyrosinemia. Tyrosinemia is a liver condition that affects how the body metabolizes tyrosine, an amino acid, because of its deficiency in the body.

Wake Forest Institute utilized a related approach to develop a brain organoid that could allow scientists to discover new drugs and for disease modeling. “In May 2018, they publicized that their organoids have a fully cell-based, functional blood-brain barrier that mimics normal human anatomy.” Wake Forest is also working on printing 3D skin grafts to apply to burn patients.

Rehearsing Surgical Procedures

Surgical rehearsal using bioprinted organoids helps surgeons’ practice to perform surgeries faster to reduce patient trauma, and the cost savings are substantial. It also allows surgeons to navigate complicated medical procedures.

Surgeries can cost $2,000 an hour so reducing how long it takes to do surgery can decrease the cost of operations considerably. Surgeons have rehearsed a broad range of procedures from spinal operations to full-face transplants. This 3D printing medical application is becoming a routine practice.

In Belfast in January 2019, surgeons practiced before a young woman’s kidney transplant successfully using a bioprinted model of the donor’s kidney. Her father was the organ donor, and there were many complications because his kidney had a dangerous cyst and his blood group wasn’t compatible with hers. Bioprinting allowed surgeons to find the location of the cyst and assess how big it was.

Physicians in Dubai operated on a patient who had a severe cerebral aneurysm using a bioprinted map of her blood vessels to traverse her arteries safely. This surgery was complicated as the aneurysm was in four veins.

3D Printing Helps Find Alternative Drug Treatments for Patients

Patients suffering from a variety of ailments often need to take several drugs each day for treatment. 3D printing allows researchers to customize medicines possibly reducing many pills to one. With 3D printing, scientists can practice embedding more than one drug in a single capsule designed to release each drug at different times. A polypill containing three different medications has already been created to treat patients with hypertension and diabetes. 3D printing medical applications involving pharmacology have the potential to change patient treatment in the future tremendously.

Custom Tailored Prosthetics and Implants for Patients

Researchers at Wake Forest are already 3D printing muscle, bone, and ear structures that they’ve transplanted in animals to see how they would function in humans. These implants have developed blood vessel systems and functional tissues, which means that these bioprinted structures have the correct strength, size, and function to use in people.

These experiments proved that bioprinting living tissue structures to replace those diseased in patients is possible. Wake Forest researchers accomplished this using a conventional inkjet printer that they modified.

3D printing medical applications such as custom-made prosthetics are providing custom-made highly functioning prosthetics for people. It also speeds up the process as often amputees must wait weeks or sometimes months to get their prostheses using traditional methods.

3D printing makes the process quicker and is more cost effective since these products are less expensive. This process is particularly cost efficient for children because they outgrow the prosthetics often.

Patients can now design a limb that works with their needs thanks to a company called Body Labs. They’ve developed an innovative system that lets patients create a personalized model for a prosthetic using a scan of their actual limbs. As a result, they fit and feel better.

Surgical Implements

Another 3D printing medical application is the development of surgical implements. This precise process can create a variety of sterile surgical tools such as clamps, hemostats, scalpel handles, and forceps.

3D printing produces sterile and precise tools because of their roots in the practice of Japanese origami. They can also be made very small because of this practice meaning that surgeons can use them to operate in tiny areas causing less damage to patients.

They also cost much less to make using 3D printing, and there was no increased cost for the faster manufacturing times, surgeon requested modifications or increased complexity. One lab test created fully reproducible surgical sets in an average of 6 hours per set. These sets were made using the SLS Sinterstation HiQ.

These 3D printing medical applications are revolutionizing modern medicine and changing the industry rapidly. They are providing cost-effective solutions to maximizing quality patient care at a lower price. This reduced cost means that additional cutting-edge surgical and medical procedures will become available to more people without decreasing the quality of the products or service.

As technology advances, the precision of 3D printing will be fine-tuned making even more medical inventions possible. Researchers hope to one day make organs to transplant in humans although right now there are many cost and technological obstacles to overcome. For one, research and development of 3D printing are costly. Also, while 3D printing can print miniature organs now, scaling is a problem for actual-sized organs.

However, other problems like using donors for tissue matches might resolve by taking cells from the transplant recipient themselves to develop the replacement organ. Using the donor’s tissue could minimize associated risks such as the need for immunosuppressants for life and transplant rejection. Some predict that the first bioprinted complex organs could be available within 20 years.

Despite problems with future organ replacements, 3D printing medical applications are providing amazing results in the field of medicine today. 3D printing is changing the world one industry at a time and plays a crucial part now in saving lives.

3D Print Your Medical Needs

Learn how you can utilize 3D printing for medical use. Contact us today to let us know how we can help.

The post Medical Applications of 3D Printing appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

“My first goal was to create an entire prosthetic leg and flipper,” Jones told Shapeways. “This later turned into just developing a pivoting ankle with a mechanism to engage a flipper once in the water. After several years of research, we came to minimizing the swimming flipper due to the ergonomics of both walking and swimming. My team of engineers has concluded that the main pain points were the lack of spring while walking and the limited propulsion of the flipper while in the water.”

With the help of the EDU Grant

With his goals in place, Jones applied for and received an EDU grant from Shapeways. With the assistive funding he received, he was able to develop the first rotational device for the flipper.

“This item was very helpful for when I took it to Northeastern University’s Generate group. They are a student-run organization [that] help out entrepreneurs looking for engineering assistance. They were able to see what I originally designed and saw the actual 3D printed model. This helped them realize the design in a physical space as well as find out the areas of improvement in the design.”

Learning the complexity of 3D design

And although Jones had taken some 3D design courses while at Northeastern University, his experience in the craft was limited, meaning he had a lot to learn when tackling the prototype of Triton Dynamics.

3D rendering of the Triton Dynamics swimming flipper

“I did not spend a lot of time working in the 3D printing environment in college. This means I had to teach myself how to use the software and equipment. This took a lot of extra time. I also did not have a mechanical engineering background, so I had to search for a team of engineers who had the same passion for helping others. I luckily found a handful of students who I, today, continue to work on this project with.”

Now, after working with his time tirelessly on Triton Dynamics, he’s hoping to turn his project into a business.

Army veteran Christy Gardner of Lewiston, Maine, trying on the Triton flipper.

“I am working on turning the project into a business now. This comes with patenting the prototype as well as making sure everything is FDA approved. This is all quite a new learning experience for me. I am hoping to get a final prototype finished by 2019.” he said.

Solid advice for aspiring designers like himself

In terms of advice for aspiring designers nervous about tackling the world of 3D printing, Jones said, “Don’t give up. It can be very frustrating starting off because every measurement has to be exact. Make sure you measure several times before sending it to the 3D printer. Remember that the material may expand during the process, so make the inverted piece a little smaller than the exact fit. I wish I knew that before I printed an entire project. Be creative, don’t let restraints get in your way. Always look for ways to push the limits of 3D printing.”

Jones added, “My research project showed me that what I was working on could be something worth continuing. I had a lot of positivity within the university and throughout the greater Boston area while working on this project. We want to truly enhance the health and well-being of below-the-knee amputees by giving them the opportunity to explore and continue aquatic activities as a means of physical and mental therapy and the enjoyment of life. Let’s help bring my wounded brothers and sisters back into the water.”

3D Print Your Medical Needs

Learn how you can utilize 3D printing for medical use. Contact us today to let us know how we can help.

The post Triton Dynamics: 3D Printed Swimming Flipper for Amputees appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

The Housewarming Party Heard ‘Round the World

We’ve been making huge advances recently (‘we’ being humans) in printing structures. From bridges to bus shelters, these experiments have been pretty literally laying the foundation of all the 3D printed structures to come. Then, this month, SXSW happened. And during the always-hyped 10-day festival of innovation, music, film, and whatever else the organizers decide, New Story and ICON’s 3D printed house stole the show. Developed to eventually cost $4,000 and take no more than 12-24 hours to print, it’s destined for use in developing areas that need sturdy housing. The quick-drying cement used by Icon’s specially-produced Vulcan printer is stronger than traditional concrete. Plus, the house’s desert-chic aesthetic is so hot right now.

Take the full tour below:

Italian architect Massimiliano Locatelli has been teasing a similar 3D printed showplace to be unveiled during next month’s Milan Salone del Mobile — this time with fancier fixtures. Follow his Instagram for updates and, we hope, unbearably chic instas from the show.

BUILD A BIG IDEA

It’s actually rocket science

Why 3D print a rocket? “Rockets are the lightest-weight, most expensive, largest, difficult-to-make thing, that really 3-D printing is the optimal solution for.” That’s coming from Relativity co-founder Tim Ellis, whose company is using the largest metal 3D printer in the world to construct rocket elements (today) and fully 3D printed spacecraft (tomorrow). The printer is (super-nerdily, super-awesomely) named Stargate. Learn more at Futurism, and watch PBS’s interview with Tim Ellis (and other 3D printing wizards) below.

Put these contacts in with your robot hand

Researchers at Northwestern University worked their butts off to solve the trickiest of challenges: creating smooth, layer-less lenses with our favorite layer-by-layer manufacturing technique. After more than 100 tries, the resulting lenses are low-cost, high-quality, and fast-printing. Said Cheng Sun, whose lab developed the process, “Up until now, we relied heavily on the time-consuming and costly process of polishing lenses. With 3D printing, now you have the freedom to design and customize a lens quickly.” This means custom contact lenses, microscopes on iPhones, better imaging during things like endoscopic surgeries — but probably not better selfies.

But what about this robot hand? It’s actually the first fully 3D printed bionic arm, and thanks to Open Bionics, it will be available in April for purchase. The Hero Arm can be endlessly customized in terms of its appearance and fit, and it’s much, much cheaper than the next-least-expensive bionic arm on the market. The name derives from the fact that the company has custom-made a few prototypes that are based on superhero characters. But, an inexpensive bionic arm is also kind of a hero in and of itself. See it in action (hero mode) below.

Even better than the ugly sneaker trend

The 3D printed shoe proto-trend became even more fun this month when Reebok got into the game with its Liquid Floatride sneaker drop. Adidas, New Balance, and Under Armour have already brought some offerings to market, and now that Reebok’s Liquid Factory (where a proprietary material is responsible for the kicks’ 3D printed elements) is up and running, our 3D print-shod future is looking so, so cool.

3D Print Your Robotics Needs

Learn how you can utilize 3D printing for robotics use. Contact us today to let us know how we can help.

ROBOTICS PRINTING SOLUTIONS

The post The Month in 3D Printing: South by Southwest Builds the Dream appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Wakanda Forever

Not only did we get to see “Black Panther” this month, we also found out that some important parts of the magic of Wakanda were 3D printed. Working with 3D designer Julia Koerner, legendary costume designer Ruth Carter incorporated 3D printed elements into the film’s regal fashions. Watch the Racked feature on it here.

A still from Racked’s feature on the costumes of “Black Panther”

So many feels

In medical news, we’re going to pull a “This Is Us” and start with… well, you’ll see. That would be this ugly-cry-inducing story from the BBC about rescue doggo Duke, who needed a paw. Luckily, 3D printing was there to give him just that. And in other touching, adorable news, 3D printing is helping visually impaired children in the classroom. Watch the video and feel nothing, we dare you:

But, we’re not done yet with your heart just yet. Ten years ago, professional snowboarder Mike Schultz had an accident that led to the amputation of his left leg. He turned his injury to his advantage, creating a company, BioDapt, that makes the specialty prosthetics sported by this year’s Paralympians — including Mike Schultz himself. Read more about how 3D printing powers his creations at Engadget, and see what adaptive athletes have done with BioDapt’s prostheses, below:

There were a lot of other astounding medical 3D printing accomplishments announced in February. This beautiful brace (the UNYQ Align by Francis Butonti) was displayed this month at the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt Design Museum in NYC. Meanwhile, UK researchers made progress toward creating 3D printed cell tissues, and one startup, BioLife4D, announced that it plans to focus on “building” hearts. Godspeed, BioLife4D.

PROTOTYPE YOUR BIG IDEA

Style is ageless

In up-and-coming style icon news, this month we met incredible teenager Shami Oshun, who taught herself 3D printing for apparel design, which is so much cooler than what I was doing as a teen. See her tweets and bow down:

Hi Twitter, my name is Shami Oshun. I am 18. I taught myself how to 3D print in August 2017. As of today I am the youngest person and first black person to 3D print fashion. I hope this inspires other black girls to pursue careers in tech and fashion #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/OST0ScgttM

— Oshun (@bluexheeta) February 8, 2018

And if you follow car news, you’ll know that Porsche has figured out what you have known for so long: 3D printing is great for replacing parts that don’t exist anymore for the classic things that you love. The iconic, stylish carmaker is 3D printing things like a clutch release lever for the 959. Sounds… like a car thing!

Medtech won’t quit

Thanks to scientists at the Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne, we are now closer than ever before to something you might not have even dreamed about, which is printing microscopic devices inside the body. And, in the meantime, their technique could simply deliver super-ultra-high-res 3D prints. Merci, y’all.

In Australia, the excellently named Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics has created something equally excellent: a clip-on smartphone microscope that can help people in remote locations analyze water cleanliness, test blood samples, and detect disease at an early stage. So… our iPhone addictions could save our lives? Right?

It’s 2018. Stop watching ‘Encino Man.’

Brits learned this month that their ancient ancestors looked different than many had imagined. With the help of DNA analysis and 3D printing, a team from London’s Natural History Museum and University College London revealed the face of a 10,000-year-old Cheddar Grove, Somerset man. With dark skin, blue eyes, and curly hair, “Cheddar Man” most surprised people who’d seen “Encino Man” too many times.

If we build it…

A Long Island company has proven that they can 3D print a home that’s 70% cheaper and 200% stronger than traditionally constructed homes. While that company’s paperwork clears, Chinese manufacturer WinSun continues to forge ahead with large-scale 3D printed construction, this month unveiling these Shanghai-area bus shelters.

Not to be outdone, Made in Space printed out the world’s longest single 3D printed piece (a beam) in the world — in their terrestrial offices. Next up: condos on the moon (dibs).

See you in March! And in the meantime…

PRINT SOMETHING

The post The (ALL-NEW) Month in 3D Printing: February Amazed Us appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Florida Man’s Best Tale Yet

We’ve all had some fun with the Florida Man meme from time to time. But just as the only reason that that meme exists is Florida’s amazing open records law, not all Florida Man reports have unhappy (or weird) stories behind them. St. Petersburg, Florida man Francisco Piedra fell onto some hard luck when a side effect of a medication used during heart surgery left him a quadruple amputee. Unable to afford the prosthetics he needed, Piedra relied on the help of the Hanger Clinic for his legs and the volunteers of e-NABLE for 3D printed prosthetic hands. Read more of the heartwarming tale here. And never laugh at another Florida Man story again (unless it involves alligators).

Want to 3D Print Your Medical Needs? We can help.

A simple model like this one can be used to create 3D printed prosthetics for patients like Francisco Piedra (Photo by IntelFreePress on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-SA)

Blowing Up Your Feed

Ok, this story might not go viral, but a printer that can print layers of explosives’ components, eliminating the need for humans to touch each of those components or the final, explosive mixture — well, that’s actually a very big deal. A group of researchers at Purdue University developed a specialized printer with a mobile print bed (rather than a moveable nozzle), which builds an ignitable nanothermite material out of layers of other nanomaterials. Discover the explosive final feat of the research at Interesting Engineering.

Like a FitBit for Your Fiddle-Leaf Fig

The Internet of Things has now extended to plants: Iowa State University has developed “tattoo sensors” that attach to leaves. These “wearables” can measure the transpiration from plants, so scientists can develop plants with greater drought-resistance. The sensors are also cheap — costing, ultimately, cents. Learn all the details here, and remember: one day your plants will be able to tell you when you’ve been neglecting them.

Photo courtesy Iowa State University

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

The more a 3D print differs from its original file, the more compromised its ability to do the job it’s being printed for. It’s a problem that will only get bigger as everything from cars to spaceships get 3D printed parts. Fortunately a group of North Dakota researchers has made progress in solving it. Using sensor data from digital imaging, their just-patented system either compares the print with a reference print or with its CAD model in real time, as the print progresses. Learn how routine printer maintenance birthed this brilliance here.

Sick Burn

This year’s Burning Man will feature a digitally fabricated Temple (a central feature of Black Rock City, which you can learn more about here). The design, called Galaxia, will center around a 3D printed mandala. Somewhat sadly, the structure will be built, only to be destroyed. In Silicon Valley, this is considered profound. See more gorgeous photos of the planned structure here.

Photo courtesy Mamou-Mani

The post The Week in 3D Printing: Florida Man Wins, Explosive Prints, Wearables for Plants, Safer AM, and a 3D Printed Burn appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

#DutchPride, Part Deux

The Netherlands is really making this Dutch-born company feel all warm and fuzzy lately. First, the world’s first 3D printed cycling bridge opened in Gemert, and now, Amsterdam is on the verge of welcoming 3D printed floors and an even cooler 3D printed bridge to its historic environs. Yes, we’re bragging. Learn more at FastCoDesign and Slash Gear.

Beating Cancer, One 3D Print at a Time

Last week we encountered a 3D printed sternum. Now, the BBC brings us the story of a woman saved with a 3D printed titanium jawbone. The implant represents a vast improvement over the old take-some-fibula-and-make-it-work method. Heck, 3D printing has even improved that old-fashioned fibula jaw implant method by providing a 3D model of the patient’s jawbone that can be used to cut precisely fitting pieces of the fibula. These latest successes could mean a future where no bone is unrepairable.

Interested in 3D printing for your medical needs? We can help.

3D printed jaw implant recipient Debbie Hawkins and her medical team (image via ABM Health Board)

Multi-Material Magic

Silicone 3D printing has been a somewhat elusive goal, but German 3D printer company ACEO has reached it, and then some. As TCT reported, the company will debut multi-material silicone 3D printing at Form Next in Frankfurt next month. “Silicones of different colors, hardness or even chemical or physical properties can now be placed independent from each other at any given point throughout the process,” explained Dr. Bernd Pachaly, the project lead. This could have all kinds of applications in medical modeling, product development, and mass manufacturing of silicone 3D prints. And, it’s a big step toward printing multi-material machines and biomimicking models. That means we’re just a little bit closer to the “Star Trek replicator” dream.

A piece of multi-material 3D printed silicone (Photo: ACEO®; Wacker Chemie AG)

Threat…itunity!

What’s a threatitunity? I’m so glad you asked. It’s that combination of a clearly foreseeable challenge (threat) and the time needed to develop the tools to face it (opportunity). And that is what we have on our hands with 3D printing cybersecurity. As the Harvard Business Review discussed this week, hacks could lead to the physical instability of printed parts, which can pose incredible dangers, obviously, but also the kind of product recall nightmares that keep employees, CEOs, and shareholders up at night. If we can’t solve this, the era of mass manufacturing with 3D printing is threatened. Thankfully, as the technology develops, novel solutions are coming to light. Challenges + brains = innovations. And that’s a threatitunity.

The post The Week in 3D Printing: Dutch Much?, No Bones About It, Innovations — and Threatitunities appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

3D modeling provides a faster, more accurate way of designing prosthetics unique to their wearers. But custom prosthetics have been around for millennia — for the wealthy. 3D printing has ushered in an era wherein prosthetics are actually affordable. In fact, they’re much more affordable than traditionally manufactured devices. And, the possibilities for personalization are greater than ever before. Enter Form.

Form is nothing less than part of a new reality. Far from the purely necessary, functional, medical, and clinical, Form turns prosthetics into fabulous, futuristic accessories.

Their product range includes leg prosthesis covers in over 30 colors and dozens of styles, including below-knee 3D art (3D sculpted) covers, below-knee printed art covers, and above-knee 3D art covers.

inspired? print your design

Form prints their covers at Shapeways in our sturdy Strong & Flexible Plastic, then post-processes them to take on the rich hues and high-shine finishes you see in the photos above and below.

Prosthetics themselves must prioritize function over form, leaving little room for creativity on the part of the designer or the wearer. Form recognizes that while a prosthetic becomes part of the body, functionally, it can also express its wearer’s personality.

The prosthetic covers range from sleek and subtle to maximalist and pop-art-inspired. Because some days, you’re feeling more sexy android, and others, more artsy tastemaker.

Right now, the company processes orders from Australia and New Zealand only. In the meantime, here’s sneak peek:

prototype your work

The post Form Prosthetics Let You Be You appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

You can view the full events schedule at this link, and highlights below:

We’re focusing on two new materials: HP Strong & Flexible and Premium Strong & Flexible, plus giving visitors a first look at designs created under our revolutionary Valve licensing program. Each day at Shapeways Community EXPO, we’ll feature themes from personal style to virtual and augmented reality. Don’t miss the groundbreaking prosthetic covers of Form, printed at Shapeways, the beautiful work of our SMK jewelry contest winners, or innovative fan art from Valve games. All events will take place in Eindhoven. You can view the map of venues here:

We hope to see you this weekend and all next week at Dutch Design Week. If you can’t make it, you can meet some of the designers who will be there via our Shaping Dutch Design magazine series, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter throughout the week. For a full list of exhibitors, visit DDW.nl.

The post Make the Future With Us at Dutch Design Week appeared first on Shapeways Blog.