I LOVE stuff like this. This article from the Economist about creating body parts from a person’s own DNA using a special machine is just really neat. Basically, the idea is that the “bio printer” first erects a water soluble “scaffold” on which the 3D printing will be done, then the machine – using as “toner” a combination of the patient’s DNA and other stuff – prints out the blood vessel or whatever is being printed. After the item has been printed, the water soluble scaffold is washed away and the item is ready for implantation.
The printer should be ready for wide spread use in as little as five years. I’ll be you can’t get the toner for that printer at Office Depot.
j steven perry, The Blog 