Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

3D bioprinting on a moving surface using motion-capture technology

20 August 2020

Precise Printing

Have you ever tried writing while on a jittery train? It’s not easy to maintain perfect penmanship when the surface keeps moving beneath your hand. The same problem applies in the emerging world of 3D bioprinting. Engineers and scientists aim to print medical devices such as sensors or scaffolds for injury repair directly onto the body, but that’s not easy when skin and organs are constantly moving with the rhythm of life. A new approach uses motion-capture technology, like that used in film production, to track the movement of a surface, such as the inflating and deflating pig lung in the video, and move the printer in time. Researchers could then lay down a gel-like sensor, which flexed with the organ and relayed information back. Implanting devices in and around the body could help monitor or speed recovery in patients, so this precise printing has great potential.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.