Inkjets may soon repair fractured arms

Scientists at the University of Manchester in England think they'll soon be able to repair fractured arms and help other medical conditions by using inkjet nozzles that spray live human cells onto the patient. The technology is being developed in cooperation with British inkjet manufacturer Xaar who are refining their equipment for human cell delivery. While bone replacement will likely be the first application put into use, they are also working on tissue engineering cartilage and blood vessels. They are cautious to point out, however, that a lot more work still needs to be done in order to ensure that the cells are not altered in some way by the delivery process.