Australian engineers create 'flexible robot' for 3D printing inside the
body
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[March 28, 2023]
By Cordelia Hsu
SYDNEY (Reuters) - A team of biomedical engineers in Australia have
developed a small flexible robot that can be used to 3D print
biomaterials directly inside the human body, in the hopes of
streamlining future medical procedures.
3D bioprinting is a process where natural tissue-like structures are
printed using living cells and other natural tissues known as "bio-ink",
in order to repair organ or tissue damage or ruptured blood vessels.
The use of living cells in the printing process allows these man-made
structures to fuse naturally with the human body and continue to grow.
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Currently, biomaterials must be created outside of the body before
relying on typically invasive surgery to insert the materials inside the
body, which can lead to high blood loss, infections, and other
complications.
Team leader Thanh Nho Do said this new device, named F3DB, will
eliminate those complications and risks by printing directly inside the
body.
"Currently no commercially available technology can perform direct 3D
printing inside the human body," Do told Reuters.
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Mar/28/images/ads/current/firstbaptist_lda_EASTER_2023.png) F3DB features a three-axis printing
head that can bend and twist using hydraulics on the tip of a soft
robotic arm. The printing nozzle can print pre-programmed shapes or
can be operated manually if more complex or undetermined printing is
required.
The smallest prototype has a diameter of approximately 11-13
millimetres (mm), similar to a commercial endoscope, but it could be
scaled even smaller in the future.
"Soft robots (are) very good for working with the human body," Do,
the director of the University of New South Wales Medical Robotics
Lab, said.
"They can offer high flexibility and adaptability. This means they
can fit to any area inside the human body."
Do believes that the device is on track for commercialisation in the
next five to seven years, pending further clinical trials.
(Reporting by Cordelia Hsu in Sydney; Editing by Alasdair Pal and
Sonali Paul)
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