3D printing helping in fractured bone surgeries

Italian surgeons at the University of Verona Hospital are now 3D-printing replicas of bone fractures so that they can make sure severe orthopaedic trauma surgeries are successful the first time round.

If you’ve ever fractured a bone, you know exactly how painful it can be, but luckily they can heal rather quickly — that is, of course, if they are able to be set correctly. Otherwise, an injured individual will suffer from chronic pain.

According to IBTimes UK, the doctors are employing “a Stratasys 3D printer to print out replicas of difficult bone fractures” to enable surgeons to rehearse surgeries in advance, similar to the doctors in Barcelona who were recently able to remove a previously inoperable tumour from a five-year-old boy. 3D printing continues to emerge as a true medical marvel, having also been used to save the life of an 18-month-old child’s life by restoring his breathing and provide a 13-year-old girl with an affordable prosthetic arm.

“At the moment about 20 patients have received 3D-printed replicas, especially patients with serious and articular fractures,” Orthopedic and trauma surgeon Dr Nicola Bizzotto told IBTimes UK. “I hope that in future, 3D printers could be used in tissue banks to give us new artificial or biological tissue [made from] a custom organ/bone architecture to implant into patients.”

(SOURCE: International Business Times) 

 

South Korea to create 10-year 3D printing roadmap

When it comes to 3D printing, South Korea has recently become quite the country to watch in terms of growth and innovation. As validation of its industry’s development, the South Korean government announced Wednesday that it plans to draw up a 10-year blueprint to promote the country’s 3D printing market, and to help transform the manufacturing sector.

Under the blueprint, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will devise detailed plans for the local 3D printing market by October.

“The 3D printing industry is a new growth engine to bring about innovation in the manufacturing realm,” said Lee Kwan-seok, an official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. “It is anticipated to take a key role in the country’s creative economy drive by converging with the ICT sector.”

The statement added that a roadmap spearheaded by the government was necessary to better coordinate research efforts currently being conducted in silos at the various universities and institutions. According to the Yonhap News Agency, the ministry in June said it planned to deploy 3D printers at 227 libraries and 5,885 schools across the country by 2017, and is targeting for 10 million South Koreans to use 3D printers by 2020.

As previously reported in Bits & Pieces, demand for 3D printing is projected to rise more than 20% per year, ultimately hitting $5 billion in 2017. While professional uses such as design and prototyping will continue to account for the majority of demand, the most rapid growth will be seen in production and consumer applications.

(SOURE: ZDNet)

Fashion meets fitness with new Tory Burch Fitbit collection

On Tuesday, designer Tory Burch officially launched her high-end accessory collection for the Fitbit Flex, giving the popular fitness tracker a little bump in the fashion department while bringing a style refresh to what has been typically deemed an unattractive wearable market. The collection’s debut comes seven months after the partnership announcement back at CES 2014.

Not all wearables are as fashion-forward as we’d like them to be, a problem which this partnership hopes to solve. In order to add some chicness to the band — giving it a bit more pizazz than something you’d only wear to the gym — Tory Burch worked with the company to develop four accessories that house the Fitbit’s core, which pops out of the wristband. The core is where the device is embedded with sensors that track activity, sleep cycle and other daily functions. The collection includes silicon bracelets that feature Tory Burch’s signature colors and prints, as well as a metal bracelet and pendant.

(Source: Mashable)

A giant TV you can roll up is coming

This week, LG Display announced that it had successfully created an 18-inch flexible OLED paper-thin panel that can be rolled up like a newspaper. According to the company, the 18-inch flexible OLED panel has a 1200 x 810 resolution, nearly 1 million megapixels, and a curvature radius of 30R. As previously mentioned, the panel can also be rolled up to a radius of 3 centimeters without affecting the function of the display. The company reports that this new panel paves the way for “rollable” TVs of more than 50 inches in the future.

The OLED technology used in the LG display screens is apparently thinner, lighter and more flexible than conventional LCDs. “This isn’t the first time we’ve seen flexible displays, although this is likely the first of its kind to be larger than a smartphone,” writes Kevin Parrish.

(SOURCE: Tom’s Hardware) 

 

UPS looks to UAV

UPS CEO-elect David Abney recently revealed that he sees potential for shipments by drone, while also acknowledging that there are many issues to be resolved, particularly those dealing with safety.

“We do believe that at some point in time that there will be a use for drones,” he explained. “We’ve looked at that technology for a long time… It may be very time-urgent, time-sensitive, expensive shipments or things like that.”

These comments come on the heels of online retailer Amazon’s request last week for permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to test drones over its property. Amazon announced a plan last December to deliver packages with unmanned aerial vehicles.

“I don’t think it’s a question of if it’s going to happen…”

(Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

 

MakerBot 3D printers go on sale at Home Depot

In a move that could possibly bring 3D printing one step closer to mainstream, Home Depot announced on Monday it will begin stocking its shelves with MakerBot 3D printers at select stores as part of a national pilot program:

• Emeryville
• East Palo Alto
• San Carlos
• Los Angeles
• West Hills
• Huntington Beach
• Chicago (three stores)
• Naperville
• New York City (two stores)

As part of a 12-store trial, the 3D printers will be sold and demonstrated at the various locations throughout California, Illinois and New York. If you recall, Home Depot started selling the printers earlier this year. Home Depot joins other big-box retailers, like Best Buy, who are tapping into the Maker Movement.

(Source: MakerBot)