Scientists have successfully printed a 3D model of a skeleton from a
live animal, an achievement that could have applications in both human
and veterinary medicine.
The highly-accurate, plastic skeleton was created from a CT scan of an anesthetized rat that was then sent to a commercial MakerBot 3D printer for printing. Evan Doney, an engineer at the biological imaging lab at Notre Dame, first came up with the idea, and used several freeware programs to in order to convert the CT scan for use in the 3D printer. The program also allows the team to clean up the image and repair breaks before printing.
The ability to print a 3D model of a living creature’s skeleton or organs could be used to create less expensive learning models for anatomy students, and could also be used to help surgeons prepare for particularly tricky operations.
The highly-accurate, plastic skeleton was created from a CT scan of an anesthetized rat that was then sent to a commercial MakerBot 3D printer for printing. Evan Doney, an engineer at the biological imaging lab at Notre Dame, first came up with the idea, and used several freeware programs to in order to convert the CT scan for use in the 3D printer. The program also allows the team to clean up the image and repair breaks before printing.
The ability to print a 3D model of a living creature’s skeleton or organs could be used to create less expensive learning models for anatomy students, and could also be used to help surgeons prepare for particularly tricky operations.
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