A bioengineer has developed a technique that uses a specially adapted 3D printer to build therapeutic biomaterials from multiple materials. The advance could be a step toward on-demand printing of complex artificial tissues for use in transplants and other surgeries.

Engineers have created a 3D-printed smart gel that walks underwater and grabs objects and moves them. The watery creation could lead to soft robots that mimic sea animals like the octopus, which can walk underwater and bump into things without damaging them. It may also lead to artificial heart, stomach and other muscles, along with devices for diagnosing diseases, detecting and delivering drugs and performing underwater inspections.

While advances in additive manufacturing offer potential breakthroughs in prosthetic arms or jet engine parts, 3D printing, as it is known, may also accelerate weapons proliferation.

Monika Dunkel continues to explore worldwide technology and market trends in nine key areas, and opportunities they present for the UK.

Soft robotics mimic living organisms and adapt to their surroundings. Increased flexibility and adaptability for accomplishing tasks as well as improved safety when working around humans, stimulate the use in food industry, advanced manufacturing and e-commerce.

A research team is bringing together natural medical cures with modern biomedical devices in hopes of bringing about better health outcomes for people with bone diseases.

Monika Dunkel, Knowledge Transfer Manager Emerging Technologies, Innovate UK recently reported on the technology trends featured at the recent IDTechEx Show! IDTechEx show presenters and exhibitors gave an overview of key market and technology trends in nine emerging technologies. Set in Berlin on 11th and 12th April 2018 this European show attracted visitors and exhibitors from across Europe, Israel, US and a noteable South Korean presence.

The need for lightweighting is paramount across numerous sectors and understanding the material solutions has left a significant amount of uncertainty and potential opportunities.

Within the field of 3D printing, there is increasing emphasis on functionality as the industry shifts away from the stereotype of rapid prototyping, and materials are not exempt from such scrutiny.

Researchers have developed a handheld 3D skin printer that deposits even layers of skin tissue to cover and heal deep wounds. The team believes it to be the first device that forms tissue in situ, depositing and setting in place, within two minutes or less.

Here the IDTechEx analysts in attendance present a commentary on the show's highlights in their respective fields of research

The lighter the car, the less fuel it uses, the less carbon it emits and the more money the driver saves. Now to push the boundaries on its next generation of lightweighting, the automaker is teaming up with Autodesk to use a combination of generative design and additive manufacturing as key technologies to develop future cars and trucks, including its alternative propulsion and zero emission vehicles.

Researchers have incorporated platelet-rich plasma into a bio-ink: a 3-D-printed mixture of cells and gel that could eventually become the stuff of skin grafts and regenerative tissue implants.

A new study examines the effectiveness of 3D printing technology and computer modeling to predict paravalvular leak in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Stratasys has unveiled a range of new solutions designed to accelerate the use of additive manufacturing on the factory floor.

This article provides an overview of the current state of play of the 3D printing market.

Technology Analyst Dr Bryony Core reports on her 3D printing findings at the IDTechEx Show! in Berlin.

The BMW Group is to invest more than €10 million in a new Additive Manufacturing Campus. Located in Oberschleissheim, just north of Munich, the facility will allow the company to continue developing its expertise in this field of work.

MakerGear has announced new products being unveiled this week.

To overcome the material rigidity and actuation limitations in current robotic systems, a joint U.S. Army Research Laboratory and University of Minnesota research project sought inspiration from invertebrates.