What is the next frontier of medical device and biotech innovation?  Don’t miss this upcoming virtual event, “3D Microfabrication 2.0.” Joined by leading experts and pioneers in the field, this event promises to unveil the transformative potential of 3D microfabrication techniques in revolutionizing the landscape of medical device manufacturing. From intricate implants to specialized instruments, participants will gain exclusive insights into how micro or nano-scale 3D printing is reshaping the design, production, and functionality of medical devices with unprecedented precision and efficiency at a micro-scale using a variety of biomaterials. Could bio-chips (microfluidics devices), robotic and endoscopic tips, and microneedles be the next frontier of international technological competition like that for the semiconductor industry? Join the conversation live and find out!

Note: If you can’t make it on time, you can register and watch the conversation on-demand for a week after the live event ends.

Live event participation is FREE to all public.

Starting Time: 8:00 AM Pacific Time

Apply to speak or sponsor the event: info@3dheals.com

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Speakers:

Dr. Benjamin Richter

Benjamin Richter is an Application Manager at Nanoscribe and develops microfabrication processes and applications for the life sciences. Before, he completed an interdisciplinary PhD thesis on “Selective Biofunctionalization of 3D Microstructures” in the groups of Prof. Wegener, Prof. Bastmeyer and Prof. Barner-Kowollik at KIT. His scientific papers have been cited more than 1500 times (Google Scholar).

Chunguang Xia

CTO and co-founder of Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF). Chunguan was trained as a mechanical engineer and worked in the semiconductor equipment industry for eight years before starting BMF Precision. Recently, BMF Biotechnology Inc. developed biochips for in vitro drug testing.

Jungho Choi

Jungho is a Ph.D candidate at Gatech with a background in mechanical engineering. His research is specialized in micro/nanoscale manufacturing. I aim to develop a new metal/polymer additive manufacturing system and generate the processing science for a rapid and cost-effective nanoscale fabrication system.

Talk title, “Scalable printing of metal nanostructures through superluminescent light projection”

Moderator:

Dr. Jenny Chen

Dr. Jenny Chen is trained as a neuroradiologist, and founder/CEO of 3DHEALS. Her main interests include next-generation education, 3D printing in the healthcare sector, automated biology, and artificial intelligence. She is an angel investor who invests in Pitch3D companies.

Now on Demand:

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Innovation in silos is dangerous. What’s equally unrealistic is to think that 3D printing will be the only force that will save the world. It will not. Often times, several technologies can work together to create something much more powerful. Several articles in this week’s selection demonstrated the merge of robotics and 3D printing technologies, with various application. One particular fun read was from an Italian group that created a self-growing obstacle avoiding robot that also simultaneous acts as a 3D-printer, enabling a tree-root like growth through an artificial pathway. What healthcare application can you think with that technology? Relating to my recent visit to the Cleveland Clinic, autonomous robotic surgery may not be as far as you can imagine. Another equally intriguing paper was by an Isreali group focusing on decentralized mitigation of world pandemics. This paper has more math than perhaps we want, but it is a serious discussion on how 3D printing can be leveraged in solving public health issues. I have touched upon decentralized healthcare in the past from a different angle. 

“From Academia” features recent, relevant, close to commercialization academic publications. Subjects include but not limited to healthcare 3D printing, 3D bioprinting, and related emerging technologies.

Email: Rance Tino (info@3dheals.com) if you want to share relevant academic publications with us.

Improvement of osseointegration by recruiting stem cells to titanium implants fabricated with 3D printing

Authored by Mary Bollman, Raphael Malbrue, Chunhong Li, Hong Yao, Shengmin Guo, Shaomian Yao. ANNALS of the New York Academy of Sciences. October 11 2019.

Immobilization of BMP-2-derived peptides on 3D-printed porous scaffolds for enhanced osteogenesis.

Authored by Xiashiyao Zhang, Qi Lou, Lili Wang, Shan Min, Meng Zaho, and Changyun Quan. Biomedical Materials. November 15 2019.

CT and MRI compatibility of flexible 3D printed materials for soft actuators and robots used in image-guided interventions.

Authored by Wiebke Neumann, Tim P. Pusch, Marius Siegfarth, Lothar R. Schad, Jan L. Stallkamp. Medical Physics. October 6 2019.

Passive Morphological Adaptation for Obstacle Avoidance in a Self-Growing Robot Produced by Additive Manufacturing

Authored by Ali Sadeghi, Emanuela Del Dottore, Alessio Mondini, and Barbara Mazzolai. Soft Robotics. February 6 2020.

Digitizable therapeutics for decentralized mitigation of global pandemics

Authored by Adar Hacohen, Reuven Cohen, Sol Efroni, Baruch barzel and Ido Bachelet. Nature Scientific Reports. October 4 2019.

The post From Academia: 3D Printing and Robotics, Stem cell coated Implants, Decentralized Mitigation of Pandemics appeared first on 3DHeals.

Q: What is your vision on the intersection of 3D Printing and healthcare?

A: Humans are incredibly varied in their geometry, and therefore I think the ability to customize anything that is essentially a “replacement part” will be welcomed by physicians.

Q: What do you specialize in? What is your passion? 

A: My passion is good ideas and building teams to make them happen.

Q: What inspired you to do what you do? 

A: I don’t think I could put my finger on that, I just turned out that way.

Q: What is the biggest potential impact you see 3D printing having on the healthcare industry? 

A: An infinite number of custom parts not just to replace bone matter, but to replace more complicated structures in the body as well.

Q: What challenges do you see arising in implementing 3D printing in healthcare sector in the next 5 years? 

A: All the usual suspects: regulatory environment, lack of capital for hardware startups, difficulty of building clinical data, etc.

Q: What is the best business lesson you have learned? 

A: Be ready to have even your most basic assumptions and best ideas proven wrong. You need to listen to the market to find the right answer.

Q: What is the biggest business risk you have taken?

A: I decided to become an unemployed entrepreneur right after my first child was born. I’m lucky my wife didn’t kill me.

The post Interview: Mr. Nathan Harding appeared first on 3DHeals.

Want to write a piece for 3DHEALS Expert Corner? Email us: info@3dheals.com

Human beings have been obsessed with self-replication and robotic technologies for centuries, even before the birth of the computer. The inception of computers and related technologies like 3D printing and artificial intelligence will soon make this goal of self-mimicry a reality in manufacturing. What is even more notable is that 3D printers, operated by robots, will reinvent the manufacturing world, achieving goals traditional manufacturing finds impossible. Robotic 3D printing is no longer a futuristic thought, with companies like Stratasys, Arevo Labs and MXD3 leading the way.

The term “robotic 3D printing” is both confusing and fascinating, but the future of humanity may very well depend on it.

To be clear, a 3D printer is not a robot. It’s a machine that receives inputs from a computer, and then creates physical objects based on digital blueprints by putting thin layers of raw material one on top of another. A robot also receives computer inputs, however, a robot interacts with the physical world through a sensing-learning-action feedback loop. A robot cannot only perform 3D printing (or additive manufacturing), but also many other actions such as moving objects and pushing buttons. More importantly, robots can “learn” from their past knowledge and modify their future actions to improve the “outcome.”

Therefore, a machine combining robotics and 3D printing can be far more powerful and efficient than any previous manufacturing technology. MX3D’s project to build a steel bridge in Amsterdam, using large-scale robotic 3D printing technology, is an impressive example.

So why is robotic 3D printing so important? Here are six major reasons:

1. 1. Robotic 3D printing allows for 5+ axis 3D printing: Multi-axis printing technology allows for printing more complex geometries with curved surfaces and without excessive supporting structures, thereby decreasing the complexity of post processing of the 3D printed product. This makes the printing process faster and decreases chance to err.

1. 1. Robotic 3D printing will allow for a 100% unmanned manufacture process: With superb sensory systems and near infinite learning capability, robots will eventually perform certain tasks much better than humans. For example, 3D printing quality control and post 3D printing processing are two labor intensive steps that may be eventually replaced with improved robotic control. Elimination of these steps will enable 100% unmanned manufacture process that makes products straight from digital design a reality.

1. 1. Robots can endure harsh environmental conditions: They can act as an extension of the civilization anywhere — from the Sahara desert, to the International Space Station, to Mars. Large-scale 3D printing in these locations to create human habitats, without the cost of human well-being, will be a determining factor to the success of colonization in space.

1. 1. Augmented sensory and motor capabilities allow for micro-scale tasks: Several robotic assisted surgical systems (such as Da Vinci surgical system) are currently available because of robot’s augmented sensory and motor capabilities. However, current “Robotic” surgery is a system where humans control tools through a minimally invasive (much smaller) incision. This system gives a more magnified view of the surgical field and multi-axis control of the surgical instrument. It is not truly robotic as the instruments do not work autonomously, but based on current (and planned future) programming, the futuristic potential is there. Using digital capabilities, sensory and motor systems, combined with 3D bio-printing and tissue repair capabilities, complete autonomous robotic surgery may no longer just be Hollywood movie magic.

1. 1. Robots can work 24/7 without any complaint: Paradoxically, humans’ initial intention to replace itself in the workplace is now considered a potential threat. Having a robotic 3D printing manufacturing workforce would impact thousands of lives, and cause significant changes, in the trillions of dollars, for the industries using them.

1. Robots can self-perpetuate: In fact, as demonstrated by one company called RepRap, damaged robots can self-repair as well as replicate other robots. These 3D printing robots can potentially grow into a large labor force that is only limited to the availability of raw material and energy.

As both Elon Musk and Stephen Hawkings have announced to the world recently, it is almost inevitable that we need to explore other viable environments to continue to survive as a species. Having robotic 3D printing on board such expeditions is a necessity, as it can supply on-demand services both within and outside of the spaceship, where the condition is often fatal to human. Robots are already integral parts of space expeditions. If expeditions are currently considered almost certainly “fatal” based on Elon Musk’s recent presentation, it will make sense to send robots to these hazardous destinations first, as an experiment.

With robotic 3D printing, we can also create physical objects at the destinations that will allow for a safer landing, inhabiting, and eventual colonization before humans even arrive. During a manned expedition, however, robotic 3D printing can create a multitude of on-demand parts and tools for the unpredictable journeys by carrying raw 3D printing material, increasing fuel efficiency and solving the “storage challenge” in a confined space like a spaceship for a long journey to Mars. With advancements in robotic surgery and bio-printing, on-board surgeries, and even childbirth, could be possible within the foreseeable future. within a reasonable range of time.

With all the benefits aside, however, it is worrisome that perhaps the most immediate adaptation of robotic 3D printing, and robotic manufacture in general, is aimed at replacing human workers, the very subjects machines are made to serve. Considering the ethical and societal implications of an autonomous workforce that can self-perpetuate, robotic 3D printing must be carefully examined and regulated.

Related Articles:

3D Printing for the Human Organ Shortage: Putting Bio back into Bioprinting

Investing in Medical Device (Or NOT): Notes from WSGR’s 2017 Medical Device Conference

What Do Steve Madden and Puff Daddy have in Common?

The post Six Reasons Why Robotic 3D Printing Is Disruptive : From pushing buttons, building bridges, to Caesarean sections appeared first on 3DHeals.