HumanSpareParts
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New fabrication technique promises "human spare parts" on the cheap
Despite appearances to the contrary, there are in fact technologies other than inkjet printers that are being put to use to create or repair various human body parts, as evidenced by this latest bit of kit developed by Finland's VTT Technical Research Centre. Apparently, the contraption you see above makes use of a visible light, ultra short pulse laser to get the job done, which has the benefit of being considerably cheaper than other similar systems that rely on pricey "femtosecond titanium-sapphire pulse lasers." Despite that relative cheapness, the setup can pump out biomaterial structures as small as 700 nanometers, which can then be applied to tissue engineering scaffolds. According to the team behind it, the technology's already in the process of being commercialized, although we're guessing that it's still a ways off from coming in a home version.[Via Gizmag]
