Printable bionic ear sends hearing to the dogs


(Credit: Frank Wojciechowski)




To create the ear, the team used bioprinting in hydrogel, first using a computer program to break down the structure of the ear into thin slices. These slices were then printed with a 3D printer using cells from a calf, which later formed the cartilage, plastics, and silver nanoparticles to create a precise model of a human ear with the antenna already embedded. Part of the challenge was merging a soft material (tissue) with a hard one (electronics), which the cartilage helped alleviate.

The ear itself consists of the cartilage structure, with a coiled antenna embedded within. Two wires can connect to a helical cochlea, which in turn can connect to electrodes -- or possibly, a patient's aural nerve endings, much like a hearing aid, restoring or enhancing hearing. However, the technology would have to undergo extensive testing before it could be applied to a human patient.

"The design and implementation of bionic organs and devices that enhance human capabilities, known as cybernetics, has been an area of increasing scientific interest," the researchers wrote. "This field has the potential to generate customized replacement parts for the human body, or even create organs containing capabilities beyond what human biology ordinarily provides."

The full study, "A 3D Printed Bionic Ear", can be read in the journal Nano Letters.

(Source: Crave Australia)

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