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3D Printing
Explore the latest strategic trends, research and analysis
Explore the latest strategic trends, research and analysis
With the concrete and steel industries responsible for 15% of carbon dioxide emissions, there are increasing calls for using timber in construction.
Researchers are trialling using recycled glass instead of sand in 3D-printed concrete and say that such buildings are vital to achieve a net-zero future.
Researchers have taken inspiration from geckos to develop a new robot gripper that can handle a wide range of objects - from raw eggs to an angle grinder.
Technology trends to watch in 2022 include developments in the metaverse, self-fertilizing crops and 3D-printed homes using local materials.
Scientists have taken kirigami principles and applied them to 3D materials, to create structures which are capable of transforming into multiple different architectures.
Children in Salima, central Malawi, have started their education at a new 3D-printed school which was built in just 15 hours, made of layers of concrete.
Every day around 40,000 people move to one of Africa's cities. This company can 3D-print homes following an affordable, low-carbon process.
Faster and cheaper to build and more sustainable, too – could this technology be a solution to meeting the world’s housing needs? Three countries show the way.
This is the first time an engineered photosynthetic material has been physically robust enough for real-world applications, such as textiles and wound-healing.
Biomedical engineering researchers are developing 3D temporary organ structures that may help regenerate damaged tissues and potentially lead to creating artificial organs.
Previously, bones that needed replacing would firstly need to be built in a laboratory. New technology means that, soon, it will be possible to ‘print’ bone tissue inside the body.
This work involves a 3D printing method called stereolithography and jelly-like materials (hydrogels), used to create products such as contact lenses.
3D-printing technology could help widen access to education post-pandemic by being used to construct sustainable schools, quickly and cost-effectively.
Medecins Sans Frontieres-France provides compressive masks for Gaza facial burn victims, to help healing and prepare them for reconstruction surgery.
As COVID-19 threatens less developed countries, collective intelligence and technology can help by offering insight into the pandemic and how to respond.