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A research team led by the University of Glasgow has developed a 3D printable carbon nanotube-based plastic material capable of sensing its own structural health.  Inspired by porous cellular forms like beehives, sponges, and bone found in the natural world, the novel material is reportedly tougher, stronger, and smarter than comparable conventional materials, and could find new applications in medicine, prosthetics, automotive and aerospace design, where low-density, tough materials with self-sensing abilities are desirable.  “Nature has a lot to teach engineers about how to balance properties and structure to create high performance lightweight materials,” said Dr. Shanmugam Kumar of the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering. “We’ve taken inspiration from these forms to develop our new cellular materials, which offer unique advantages over their conventionally produced counterparts and can be finely tuned to manipulate their physical properties.” The 3D printed nanoengineered designs. Image via University of Glasgow. 3D…    read more 

A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the University of Connecticut (UConn) has 3D printed novel calcium phosphate graphene (CaPG) scaffolds that could be used for bone regeneration applications in the future.  The team sought to develop an alternative to traditional autogenous bone grafts that simply stabilize bone defects and injuries. The study saw the successful fabrication of a 3D bioprinted alternative that supports tissue regeneration at the defect site, and which possesses numerous desirable properties such as osteoinductivity, biological safety, a long shelf-life, and reasonable production costs.  Biomimetic 3D printed CaPG matrix design. Image via Nature. Challenges of 3D printing graphene While graphene’s lightweight properties, electrical and thermal conductivity, and mechanical strength make it a desirable material for applications within biomedicine, energy generation, and microelectronics, much of graphene’s potential comes from deploying the material in its monolayer form. This therefore presents a significant challenge when trying…    read more 

Researchers at the University of Sydney have developed a 3D printed sensor bracelet that allows those with hand impairments to more easily use computers and play video games.  By detecting vibrations in users’ wrists as they move their fingers, the wearable is said to be capable of picking up inputs, before relaying these to a machine learning (ML) program that converts them into computational commands. Once they’ve perfected this process, the team intends to make the bracelet open-source, with the aim of improving smart device access for disabled people across the world. “Accessibility shouldn’t come at a huge cost,” explains Stephen Lin, the undergraduate honours student who led the project. “Our mission is to provide an affordable, easy-to-use solution to assist people around the world who are living with disability. We want this technology to be available to anyone who needs it, which is why we plan to release it…    read more