Speaking with: Mia Woodruff about using 3D printing to replace body parts
- Written by William Isdale, Research Assistant, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne
3D printing is fundamentally changing the way we make many objects – from construction materials to toys and even food.
And being able to 3D-scan the environment, even our own bodies, means that tools and prosthetics that were once mass-produced can now be custom-made for the people they’re designed to help, at a low cost.
What if one of the most essential items in the hospital of the future is a 3D printer?
William Isdale speaks with Queensland University of Technology’s Mia Woodruff about the work she and her team are doing to explore the use of 3D-printed bio-gels and scaffolds in healing cartilage and bone injuries, and looking to a future where biological functions for those currently on organ donor lists might be fulfilled by bio-compatible machines created in a lab.
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Authors: William Isdale, Research Assistant, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne
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