Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, March 1 (Xinhua) according to the Science and Technology Daily, Australian engineers have developed a miniature flexible robot arm that can print biomaterials directly to the internal organs and tissues of the human body. in the future, the device can enter the body through small skin incisions or natural holes to reach hard-to-reach parts, thus speeding up recovery. The research is published in the latest issue of Advanced Materials.

At present, 3D biological printing usually requires the help of large 3D printers to create cellular structures in vitro. In the new study, a team at the University of New South Wales's Medical Robotics Lab designed a miniature flexible 3D biological printer that can be inserted into the body like an endoscope and deliver layers of biomaterials directly to the surface of internal organs and tissues.

The proof-of-concept device, called F3DB, has a very flexible rotating head and a long, soft serpentine manipulator that can be controlled externally. The team tested the device in a simulated colon and printed different shapes of material on the surface of pig kidneys.

The existing 3D bio-printing technology requires biomaterials to be made in vitro and then transplanted into the body, which increases the risk of infection, the researchers said. the new flexible 3D biological printer can deliver biomaterials directly to the target tissue or organ in a minimally invasive way.

The team's smallest prototype of F3DB is about the diameter of an endoscope (about 11-13 microns), small enough to insert into the human gastrointestinal tract, and has the potential to shrink further. The system has been patented, and the next step is to test it on live animals to prove its practical value. According to CTOnews.com, the researchers also plan to add other features, such as integrated cameras and real-time scanning systems, to reconstruct three-dimensional tomography of moving body tissue.

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