No bones about it

[james]

3D Inkjets Print Replacement Bones

3D printing has come to the operating room. The University of Tokyo Hospital has pioneered the use of an ink jet type printer to build artificial bones, layer by layer. more..

[Samurai_Jerk]

The next round of tests is due to start this fall, and researchers expect this cheap and fast tech to be in widespread use by 2010.

They probably mean by 2010 in around the world. The Japanese government will probably take another 15 to 20 years to approve the technology for use in Japan and even then national insurance won't cover it.

[james]

They probably mean by 2010 in around the world. The Japanese government will probably take another 15 to 20 years to approve the technology for use in Japan and even then national insurance won't cover it.

i wonder in fact how many instances there are of japanese medicine in use outside of but not approved for use in japan.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I'm not sure about that, but according to some research I did in college and a med student friend from the US I know who did research here, Japan is really cutting edge in some areas of medicine when it comes to research. It doesn't seem to trickle down to practical use in the clinics and hospitals though.

[Doctor Stop]

They probably mean by 2010 in around the world. The Japanese government will probably take another 15 to 20 years to approve the technology for use in Japan and even then national insurance won't cover it.

What do you mean? Japan approved Viagra in record time.

Sorry, I thought you guys were talking about artificial boners.

[amdg]

BFD - what makes an 'ink-jet' bone better than any other artificial bone? Other than it appeals to investors who have seen how Leeloo was put together in the Fifth Element and think that this "bone" creation method might be something similar.

Oh, I see, its stronger. Why didn't they call it a spray-paint bone? That would be a better explanation of how it works. And stronger bones aren't always an advantage.

[james]

BFD - what makes an 'ink-jet' bone better than any other artificial bone? Other than it appeals to investors who have seen how Leeloo was put together in the Fifth Element and think that this "bone" creation method might be something similar.

well, if i had to put it down to any one quality, i'd say:

[quote="tfa"] "The liquid and powder set hard –]

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

The printers have been around for years and the use of CT scans for 3D models is nothing new. The only thing of interest is the polymers being used and how they are absorbed　by bone structure.

The time to produce these models is fast compared to artificial bone, but the artificial bone can have a more random or rotary grain. The printer lays flat sections so it's shear strength may be an issue with certain area (legs for example) for cranial plates would be fine.

[Charles]

I am unimpressed by this newfangled technology. But let me know when they develop an inkjet that can print up a batch of percodan.

[Kanchou]

I saw a documentary where the predicted in the future, they'll be able to "print" new hearts and other organs using the same method...

They've already shown that heart cells can at least survive the printing process (they still beat after being printed).

[succubusqueen]

What do you mean? Japan approved Viagra in record time.

Sorry, I thought you guys were talking about artificial boners.

[amdg]

I saw a documentary where the predicted in the future, they'll be able to "print" new hearts and other organs using the same method...

They've already shown that heart cells can at least survive the printing process (they still beat after being printed).

I saw a documentary where they predicted that in the future there will be flying cars.* Researchers have already made some advancements in tests where they have managed to take a car sitting at rest on the ground and then have it move through space, above the ground along a stable vector.* They do have some control issues to sort out, and as of now there is really no way to regulate the velocity to any great extent, or to control lateral movement, but they have devised means for effective breaking.*

































*Back to the future
*Thelma and Louise
*That shit breaks up good

[Kanchou]

Well, the difference being flying cars and reproducing hearts is that the former is being developed by a moron who tells us it's "nearing the production phase" every two years, while his prototypes are struggling to barely hover above the ground, tethered to a crane, while generating massive noise (losing at least one marriage and about $10 million in the process), whereas the latter is being developed by, well...people who know what they're doing.