3d ear printer. Does the cart-elige run out of ton-ear?

[U-Ute]

How long until people start doing unnecessary cosmetic surgery to get the ears of the rich and famous?

http://www.futurity.org/top-stories/artificial-ear-from-3d-printer-looks-very-real/

[Katy Lied]

Actually, I'm fascinated with all of the applications of 3D printing.

Here is the ear 3D printer that U-U is talking about. It uses ink made of collagen from rat tails and cartilage cells harvested from cows:

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-02/cornell-researchers-bioengineer-realistic-3-d-printed-ear

Here's another story about a 3D printer using Polycaprolactone (PCL) ink, a biodegradeable polyester to print a bronchial tube for a baby dying of blocked lung obstruction. The 3D printer spit out this tube inserted into the baby's lung so his lung could clear and function properly.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/22/health/baby-surgery/index.html

We've already heard about the 3D printer that uses a plastic ink and can create a plastic gun that was recently successfully fired. Here is the BBC report:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JK55GSbSWQ0

Just search for 3D printer on YouTube and you'll see all of the marvelous items created using a 3D printer: airplane parts, a bicycle, a knife, body parts like trachea tubes, jewelry, drugs made from a single person's DNA in order to focus affect on that person, indiscriminate recreational drugs.