3D Printed ‘Bionic Eye’
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Posted on Aug 30, 2018, 6 p.m.
Researchers from College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota have successfully 3D printed a hemispherical surface of light receptors in a step towards the creation of a bionic eye, this ground breaking development may pave way for artificial eyes that could help blind people see and improve human vision in general.
As published in the academic journal Advanced Materials the research team has successfully printed light receptors in a hemispherical glass dome; printing on flat surfaces is now common, but printing on delicate light receptors on a curved surface is something far less common and significantly more challenging.
The same team has printed a bionic ear in the past as well as created other life like artificial organs for surgeons to practice on, including an electronic fabric that could be used as bionic skin tissue. Next step for the researchers is to create a prototype that has more efficient light receptors and create a way to print on soft materials which can be implanted into a real eye.
What was once science fiction may soon be a real thing, this break through puts researchers even closer to using a multimaterial 3D printer to create “bionic body parts”. There is still a ways to go to routinely print active electronics reliably, explains Michael McAlpine, but 3D printed semiconductors are showing they could potentially rival efficiency of semiconducting devices fabricated in microfabrication facilities.
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