Bioprinting

Over the years, I've posted a number of pieces on how manufacturing is changing, including the rise of what is called 3D printing. 3D printing had been used for rapid prototyping but is now being used more for final products.

Now, according to a story in the Washington Post, 3-D printers are being used to "make" living body parts. Called bioprinting, it uses the same basics as other 3D printing but using living cells rather than plastic or metal as the printing material. At this point, the technology is still very primitive. It can only lay down layers of tissue, not create the internal workings of an organ. According to the story,

Bioprinting technology is years and possibly decades from producing such complex organs, but scientists have already printed skin and vertebral disks (the soft tissue that grows in the spine between the vertebrae) and put them into living bodies. So far, none of those bodies have been human, but a few types of printed replacement parts could be ready for human trials in two to five years.

This may not be the only -- or even main -- biomedical use of 3D printing. The story only mentions that "the technology has been around for almost two decades, providing a shortcut for dentists, jewelers, machinists and even chocolatiers who want to make custom pieces without having to create molds." I can foresee a broader use for creating customized medical devices, such as replacement joints. One of the most time consuming part of hip replacement, for example, is the fitting of the joint inside the body. It needs to be done just right. A customized joint, 3D printed on site based on the patience's exact body specifications, might simplify the process.

So, who knows, in a few years you might be walking into a hospital and be actually walking into the factory of the future.