Groundbreaking New Research Allows 3D Printing Directly on Organs

ME Professor Michael McAlpine is serving as senior researcher on a team that has developed a groundbreaking 3D printing technique to print electronic sensors directly on organs that are expanding and contracting. This research builds upon the team's previous successful work on printing electronics directly on the skin of a moving hand. The new development holds the potential for printing sensors on moving organs like the lungs or heart to diagnose and monitor various, including COVID-19. “We are pushing the boundaries of 3D printing in new ways we never even imagined years ago,” said McAlpine.

See this cutting-edge project in action:

McAlpine and his team recently published their research in Science Advances.

Learn more about the team's work here: z.umn.edu/3Dprintinglungs

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