A 3D-printed ice template of blood vessels Philip LeDuc et al./Carnegie Mellon University Complex artificial organs could be created by 3D printing a mould of veins, arteries and capillaries in ice, casting that in organic material and then allowing the ice to melt away, resulting in a delicate, hollow network. This leaves a space for … Read more
This mouse is able to move with ease Zhenshan Bing/Technical University of Munich, Germany A mouse-like robot with an articulated spine is faster, more agile and defter at balancing than rigid competitors, but the added cost and complexity means such devices will only be suitable for some applications. Zhenshan Bing at the Technical University of … Read more
A 3D printer that can produce complex systems of bendy and rigid materials, such as a robotic hand or an artificial heart, could be used to make more lifelike robots. Robert Katzschmann at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and his colleagues have developed a 3D printer that can produce systems with intricate … Read more
A test of the miniature toilet using dyed honey Bin Su et al. A 3D-printed toilet is so slippery that almost nothing can stick to it, even after heavy use, meaning it could massively reduce the amount of water used for flushing. There are many kinds of slippery toilet surfaces, like Teflon-coated bowls, but they … Read more
Objects called trajectoids can be shaped to roll along desired pathways Bartosz Grzybowski et al Wonky spheres can be sculpted to roll eternally downhill along any possible path, as long as the path repeats. These “trajectoids” could be used to design robots that follow particular routes, or to model how the spin of quantum computer … Read more
Microscopy image showing live Caenorhabditis elegans worms with 3D-printed shapes Alexandre Benedetto Nematode worms given glowing shapes inside their bodies show how electronics can be directly 3D printed within a living organism. The technique could one day be used to create and maintain implants or computer-brain interfaces in humans. Electronic implants are already widespread, from … Read more