Quickly, print me a bone
Rebuilding bodies with 3D printing
The creation of crowns for teeth and hearing aids are among the applications of 3D technology as it goes mainstream
Track cycling athlete Jason Laing’s arm was restored by 3D printing — and it helped save his life. When Laing was training for a competition on a velodrome track in 2015 he suffered a seizure and hit the deck of the track head-on at a speed of about 70km/hour. The impact caused multiple brain injuries, breakages, torn muscles, major internal bleeding and collapsed lungs. He had to be resuscitated twice. Laing’s recovery was long and difficult, and he relied on occupational therapy and surgery. Gradually, he was able to communicate and function almost normally. But last year doctors discovered that the subclavian artery in his right arm was being squeezed by bones that had failed to heal correctly. His brachial plexus nerve, which originates near the neck and shoulder, was also found to be damaged. This led him to lose feeling in his hand. The situation was deadly: Laing was in danger of haemorrhaging if he sustained a fall, and that could kill him in seconds. His options were few. C...
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