Scientists at NASA and Stanford University have attempted to 3D print cell clusters that are able to produce non-living structural biomaterials such as wood, bone minerals and tooth enamel. The team has indicated that they are on track to prove this concept by October 2014.
Lynn Rothchild, an evolutionary biologist who works for NASA and teaches astrobiology at Stanford is the team leader. Along with Diana Gentry, a doctoral candidate trained in biology mechanical engineering and Ashley Micks, a student at Stanford, Rothchild has been working long hours on a proof of concept for their new 3D printing process. Last year, the team was awarded $100,000 through NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (INAC) Program whose aim is to transform science fiction into fact.
Rothchild’s vision of the future does come close to science fiction as the technique being developed by the team could allow for habitats, space suits, or even the repair of the human body using 3D printed cell arrays. In this image of the future, the 3D printer could very well become the go-to equipment for replacing all sorts of parts. It is currently impossible to produce handy, biologically-derived materials such as bone, silk and wood in space related applications due to limitations relating to production, processing and manufacturing.
