A new-generation adaptive 3D printing system has been developed that can identify the positions of randomly distributed organisms and safely move them to assembly-specific locations. In a major leap forward for the fields of cybernetics, cryopreservation and bioimaging, technology can now streamline the biosampling process, saving significant time and financial resources for researchers and scientists worldwide.
The state-of-the-art system was engineered by a team of researchers from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Unlike traditional systems, this innovative 3D printing system tracks, collects, and accurately positions a wide range of organisms, regardless of whether they are stationary, in droplets or in motion. Crucially, the printer is guided by real-time visual and spatial data, meaning it can adapt to ensure the precise placement of organisms.
Describing the printing system’s advantage, Guebum Han, lead author on the research paper and former postdoctoral researcher at the University of Minnesota, stated: “The printer can act like a human would, with the printer acting as hands, the machine vision system as eyes, and the computer as the brain. It can adapt in real-time to moving or still organisms and assemble them in a certain array or pattern."
The research, published in Advanced Science, delineates how the 3D printing method vastly outperforms manual process in both speed and accuracy. Thanks to the groundbreaking technology, researchers can now achieve more consistent outcomes in organism-based applications, saving not just significant amounts of time, but also enhancing the precision of the research processes.
The innovative technology promises a wide range of applications. It can enhance the process of cryopreservation, where organisms are preserved at very low temperatures, and streamline the task of sorting living organisms from dead ones. Beyond that, researchers can now place organisms on curved surfaces and even integrate organisms with materials and devices in customizable shapes.
The game-changing technology was put to practical use during a cryopreservation procedure involving zebrafish embryos, where the manual manipulation process was expedited twelvefold by the 3D printer. The team also demonstrated how the adaptive technology can pick up and place randomly moving beetles, effectively integrating them with functional devices.
Looking to the future, the researchers plan to expand on this technology, combining it with robotics to make it a portable system that can be used for fieldwork. This innovation opens the possibility of collecting organisms or samples in areas that would traditionally be considered inaccessible, potentially propelling bioassembly into a new era.
Disclaimer: The above article was written with the assistance of AI. The original sources can be found on ScienceDaily.
