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R_www.3ders.org 2015 02991.txt.txt

#3d4md turns solar powered suitcase 3d printer into medical tool for saving lives in third world and on Mars As regular readers will have noticed doubtlessly, 3d printing technology is already steadily making a name for itself as a genuine and very useful medical technology. But despite all the 3d printed organ replicas, bioprinted innovations and even plastic hand prosthetics out there, the reality is that very few are available to a broad public. People across the third world have very little access to basic medical care, let alone to 3d printed tools and prosthetics themselves. But that could be changing in the near future as one Canadian doctor recently founded a startup that is employing 3d printers for medical care in hard to reach places. Called 3dmd and led by dr. Julielynn Wong, this fantastic initiative uses multipurpose solar-powered suitcase 3d printers that can be used to manufacture all sorts of medical tools in the remote corners of the world and even in space by astronauts. This inspiring 3d printing venture has been developed by actual public health physician dr. Wong, who realized that 3d printers are making life in the west much easier, while people in the rest of the world haven even completed previous medical steps yet. So why not combine the two into a single package? ver one billion people lack access to electricity. In remote places, simple medical items are expensive and can take weeks to months to arrive in the hands of medical staff. 3d4md brings technologists, healthcare professionals and patients together to create affordable 3d printable medical solutions to positively impact over one billion lives, she says. oday it possible to use low-cost 3d printers to make medical supplies locally on demand using solar energy. Our mission is to use 3d printers to deliver the highest standard of medical care in the most challenging places to those who need it the most. This fantastic project has been under development for a few years now the first 3d printed tools were tested medically way back in 2013 and is progressing well. Recently publishing a medical article called"Solar-Powered Suitcase 3d printer Makes Medical Supplies"in the September issue of the Aerospace medicine Human Performance journal, 3d4md and dr. Wong are now ready to take things to the next level. As she explains to 3ders. org, the key component in this entire venture is a custom-made and very impressive solar-powered, plug-and-play ultraportable 3d printing system. While wee seen compact 3d printers before, very few can actually be transported as carry on luggage in airlines by singe physicians. The idea is that people from say, doctors without borders, can take these suitcase 3d printers to any remote village in Africa that hasn even been put on the grid yet. his 3d printing system is capable of making a range of medical supplies, including custom splints, scalpel handles, and dental instruments. Designing this system to fit inside a carry on suitcase allows safer handling of fragile parts and saves money by avoiding checked baggage fee, she says. Even better would be if one or two of these 3d printers stay behind to enable locals to create their own (medical) 3d printed solutions. A combination with easy-to-use software like Openscad is made easily. And remarkably it was conceived in a way similar to how many of us start out: through science fiction.''ve always loved science fiction and one thing that's captured my imagination is this idea of a replicator-a machine that can create anything. Today, these machines are real. When I started using 3d printers, I realized that this technology could be applied in so many ways to help others. My father carried a doctor's bag containing medical equipment when he made house calls. I began to imagine how doctors could use portable 3d printers to make medical supplies for patients during visits, she says. As she goes on to explain, the current second edition of the 3d printer has been made entirely with off-the-shelf components. he entire system has to be within the maximum size limits for carry on baggage to allow safer handling of delicate parts and to save money by avoiding baggage check in fees. I wanted this to be a plug-and-play system so it would be easy to use, she says. The solar panels are connected to the battery (12v containing a charge controller and AC inverter) to chare it, while an entire catalog of 3d printable files can be found on a supplied USB memory stick. Plugging it in and pressing play is the only thing that is needed to print a wide range of tested medical supplies. Think 3d printed finger splints handles for scalpels and dental instruments. Even educational anatomy models are no problem at all. What more, it only weighs 5 kg. And while the initial goal is in the third world, a series of tests have already proven that astronauts can also benefit from this portable kit, for which she took it to the Mars Desert Research Station which is used to prep the forthcoming mission to Mars. ince the International space station is powered by solar panels, I decided to use solar energy to power my 3d printer to make medical supplies during my simulated Mars mission. This had never been done before she says. hen I returned home, I had printed my medical supplies tested by clinic staff to see if they worked properly. They did. These results are published now in this month's issue of the Aerospace medicine Human Performance journal. In short, this 3d4md kit is quickly becoming the machine that doctors throughout the world and beyond it need. While dr. Wong and her team aren quite ready for a commercial release, they do already want to encourage everyone to design their own 3d4md solar-powered plug-and-play 3d printer using off the shelf parts p

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