Researchers from the University of Wollongong in Australia have developed a way to replace traditional surgery with this device - a BioPen. It is a handheld 3D printer that can print bone directly onto patients during surgery.

It uses a stem cell ink which can be coaxed into differentiating muscle, bone or nerve cells. The complex and adaptive bio-ink can be augmented to also include growth hormone and other substances.



It may look like the BioPen makes the doctor an artist, but it is not ready for commercial use just yet. The device will have to undergo clinical testing first and if it goes well, we could see surgeons using them soon enough.

[University of Wollongong, via CNET]