eli5: What does 3D print human body parts mean? How can a 3d printer do that?

Question

eli5: What does 3D print human body parts mean? How can a 3d printer do that?

In: Technology

Answer 1

For quite a long time we’ve been able to grow human cells in a test tube. For example, we can create new cells for a heart.

But making these cells form the structure of a heart, so that it can actually work, isn’t directly possible. We need some kind of structure to guide the growth of the cells. A 3D printer is a tool that can potentially build these structures, and be used to guide the growth of cells that can form new organs.

This is an emerging application of 3D printing, and is hopefully something we’ll hear a lot more about in the future.