Titanium ribcage implant

Comments

  • garethnelsonukgarethnelsonuk
    I saw this earlier too, seems a bit out of reach for us amateurs but still rather exciting.
  • katykaty
    This is pretty awesome. Will be interesting to see the followup with the patient after a few months.
  • ElectricFeelElectricFeel
    What we can do is generally a fraction of what the pros can do, and their advances trickle down to us. This tech will become more readily available as time goes on.
  • zombiegristlezombiegristle
    While it may not have the mechanical properties needed to replace structural elements like ribs, I believe "little people" like us can in fact print using biocompatible polymers.
  • chironexchironex
    Agreed and theres plenty we can do that they can't since they have to answer to a board of ethics and grant funding people. We don't.
  • TheGreyKnightTheGreyKnight
    The only boundaries we have are the ones we place on ourselves.

    More along this topic, how much of a human bone can you encase in a foreign substance before it starts becoming necrotic from being isolated? I read about the process of making a Spartan in one of the Halo novels, and they mentioned converting the bone into a ceramic with some sort of ossification agent, but only being able to convert about 30%, due to the necrosis that occurs above that percentage. I'm not really sure what increasing the hardness of our bones would do, but I think that the issue with necrosis is one to be addressed. We've talked about tissue isolation with regards to skin before, but never really bone.

    In regards to 3D printing with metal, Once I get started on the latter half of my 4 year degree, I'm going to try to put together a 3D printer that uses metal powder and sinters it with a laser. The laser, and all the equipment to support said laser, will probably cost a considerable amount, but making the moving bits is so easy and cheap, it's not even funny. You can literally find almost all of the parts you need in dumpsters, Consignment shops, and those electronics stores that sell components (Not radioshack). That's for another thread, though.
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