By integrating biological tissues with electronics, researchers may be able to create artificial tissues and organs that can monitor health or enhance senses.
Lab-made organs could do more than just serve as ready options for patients in need: with the right blend of biology and materials science, they might even be able to endow people with superhuman abilities.
That’s what researchers at Princeton University see as the future of tissue engineering, and they believe 3-D printing is the way there. Michael McAlpine and members of his lab recently reported that a 3-D printer could build a bionic ear capable of detecting frequencies a million times higher than the normal range of hearing.
Image Courtesy of Victor Habbick / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
To read the original article: Building a Bionic Ear | MIT Technology Review
