The future is now! Thanks to the modern marvel of 3D printing, we can now make some pretty crazy stuff. You wouldn’t believe some of the things you can print, from working instruments to edible paper sushi. Here are just a few of the things being made with 3D printers, and what it can mean for the way we live in the futuristic present.
A skull – Well, most of it, anyways. Doctors recently replaced nearly 75% of a man’s skull with 3D printed plastic parts. Though they haven’t yet, this means that doctors could someday be able to print entire replacement bones, as well as other replacement organs. There has also been recent experimentation with printing human stem cells, which could mean big strides for modern medicine.
A face – A young artist is working on a project that prints 3D models of people’s faces using only a small part of their DNA. Where do they collect the piece of DNA? From discarded cigarette butts. If they can print someone’s face using just that tiny amount of DNA, imagine what that could mean for crime scene investigations? Sounds like it’ll be way easier to find the guy when you can just print out his face.
A fetus – Okay, not a real one. But when you go to get an ultrasound, at certain special facilities, you can have a 3D model printed of your fetus. Enclosed in a clear, crystal-like block, the fetus model is suspended forever, giving you something creepy and bizarre to show off at your house parties. Unfortunately, real printed babies are still a ways into the future.
For those of us who can’t afford the luxury of a 3D printer right now, there’s always your local digital printing company. A digital printing company can help you with any digital printing project, and can handle the tricky stuff like large format printing and rush printing. You may not be able to print out a face, but there are plenty of other awesome print projects you can do today.
