The Status of Bio Printing

In the past, we’ve shown you a few ways (here & here) that researchers are using 3D printing technology to build human tissue up from a cellular level. What’s been missing from our conversation is a realistic look at the status of the technology.

EuroNews hi-tech has just published a video that profiles Orgonovo, a company at the bleeding-edge (sorry I couldn’t help myself) of this technology. Rather than spoil its content by spelling it out for you, I’ll let Euronews’ first-hand account excite your fantasies of a future where organs can be replaced without hassle.

The one comment that I will make about Orgonovo’s line of NovoGen 3D printers is that I was expecting something more complicated. I think what the machine does is spectacular, but it doesn’t look too dissimilar to a RepRap. I imagine that at this stage of the project's development simple is better. But I wonder what future bio printers might look like? Could they be setups similar to an Objet Connex? Or will they delve even deeper into the sci-fi landscape, resembling the sleep chambers familiar to fans of the Alien movies?