engineers from theUniversity of New South Wales in Sydney have developed a robotic arm ” soft, miniature and flexible “, which might be used to 3D print biomaterials ” directly regarding the organs inside a person’s body. Their work has been published in the journal Advanced Science[1].
The device, called F3DBfeatures a maneuverable pivoting head that “ prints » bio-ink, attached to the end of a robotic arm, all of which can be controlled from the outside. The print nozzle can be programmed to print predetermined shapes, or operated manually.
The system was tested inside an artificial colon, as well as by 3D printing different materials of different shapes on the surface of a pig kidney. ” The majority of cells were alive following printing. The cells then continued to grow for the next seven days, and four times as many cells might be observed one week following printing.
For the researchers, the device might be used by healthcare professionals within five to seven years to access hard-to-reach areas inside the body through small skin incisions or natural orifices. After getting ” a provisional patent the system will now be tested on live animals.
[1] Mai Thanh Thai et al, Advanced Soft Robotic System for In Situ 3D Bioprinting and Endoscopic Surgery, Advanced Science (2023). DOI: 10.1002/advs.202205656
Source : Medical Xpress, Neil Martin, University of New South Wales (27/02/2023)
