3D Printing Human Beings - Will.i.am Thinks so in Our Lifetime

[Brian_Krassenstein]

3D printing technology is developing, and fast. Bioprinting is becoming a reality -- even as a defined word in the dictionary now -- but just how far can it go? In speaking with Dezeen in London, 3D Systems' Chief Creative Officer, will.i.am, noted his "controversial" predictions for additive manufacturing and its uses and capabilities. The famous entertainer predicts that due to enhancements in the development of bioprinting, entire human bodies will be able to be 3D printed within "our lifetime." Will 3D printing of tissues lead to organs and eventually people? What are the moral ramifications of the technology? Read more in the full article: http://3dprint.com/49195/will-i-am-3d-print-people/


Below is a photo of will.i.am with his EKOCYCLE line of merchandise:

[Bassna]

I'm trying to print out some upgrade's for myself, why not.

[3dxyz]

But what about something impossibly complex like the human brain? Or the eye? Scientists to this day, even though they know much more about how it works, still have no idea how the brain ACTUALLY works.
I know that sounds contradictive but I think mr will.i.am is getting a little bit a head of himself. And by that I don't mean he is 3D printing his head!

Until we can unlock the secrets of the human brain, there is no way that any type of 3D printer whatever the 3D printing technology used will be able to "print" something like the brain.
The brain is made up of a 100 billion nerve cells. Some of these are 100 x smaller than the width of a fine human hair.

Also 3D Printers WONT evolve into star-trek like teleporters. Teleportation and Stereolithography are 2 completely different things.

It's cool that he, 3D Systems and Coca-Cola have created a 3D printer that uses recycled bottles as filament. It's supposed to be ecologically and environmentally friendly.

But what he doesn't tell you is that it leaves a much bigger carbon footprint behind to just make ONE of these "EKOCYCLE Cubes" than it does all the bottles you could ever recycle in your lifetime anyway.

[Joey1058]

Printing a liver or kidney is one thing, because they are simply one big biological cell. Which is why when they fail in people, major surgery is required. There is no other cell to take over. Printing a multi-celled organism will take magnitudes of complexity more. Things to be considered are the structure of a tendon cell, as opposed to a bone cell, and how they work in tandem in muscle movement. We're talking billions of cells. Other things to take into consideration are enzymes and DNA embedding. Once you get to THAT point, it gets really weird. I personally believe that while its an achievable goal, the time frame is closer to another century, rather than a few decades.

[Joey1058]

I need to rethink my comment after reading this article in Gizmag.com this morning:
http://www.gizmag.com/complex-molecu...7f091-91667501