3D-printed joints
Custom made replacement joints printed on demand
Custom made replacement joints printed on demand
No special on the future of medicine would be complete without mentioning how 3D printing will revolutionize healthcare. From 3-D printed prosthetics to blood vessels, research groups around the world are exploring new ways to utilize this revolutionary technology.
One of the groups at the forefront is right here in Canada. It's a "joint" collaboration – pun intended - between the Universities of Waterloo, Toronto, Guelph, and Mount Sinai Hospital. They've created custom-made, 3-D printed bone joints, a process they call additive manufacturing, which they've already successfully implanted into sheep.
Dr. Mihaela Vlasea is an assistant professor of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo, and one of the developers of the 3D-printed joints.
Related Links
- University of Waterloo release
- Article from 3D Print.com