Bioprinting, the advantages of having a tail and Electric Seaplanes
April 29
This week we will examine a new way of bio printing organs. We also look at the advantages that a tail will bring to robots and humans. We discover an electronic skin that will monitor all our vital signs and activity and an electric seaplane that will whisk us quickly between coastal cites quickly and quietly.
Bioprinting a Pancreas
Readily3D has developed a new system that will print biological tissue in just 30 seconds. The technology was created at EPFL’s Laboratory of Applied Photonics Devices and then further developed by Readily3D.
The technology uses a biological gel containing a patient’s stem cells. A laser is applied to the gel to solidify it through polymerization. The location and intensity of the laser can be controlled in order to solidify only those areas of the gel needed to form the desired tissue.
The goal is to print 3D tissue at the cubic centimeter scale and replicate the functioning of a live pancreas. A pancreas printed from a patients own stem cells will eliminate the need to conduct tests on animals and an array of rejection drugs, some of which can have significant side effects.
The technology may one day be used to bioprint other kinds of tissue for developing treatments for cancer and eventually for producing transplant organs. If they are successful in printing a functioning pancreas, it may put an end to diabetes.
Robots with a Tail
No I didn’t spell “Tail” incorrectly. This is not the life story of a robot that managed to overcome adversity and go out into the world and become useful. It is the story about a group of scientists that studied a cheetah’s tail to see if it could help them with developing stability in robots.
Many big cats move with a high degree of precision and maneuverability, even at excessively high speeds. It is party due to their use of their tails. Adding a tail to a robot traditionally meant increased mass, high inertia and higher energy cost.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon and the University of Cape Town have replicated the cheetah’s tail to help with robot mobility. The cheetah uses aerodynamic drag via its’ tail to achieve high forces with low inertia. Robotic tails to date have relied on high inertia tails because of their simplicity.
The tail improves the robot’s agility and gives it better control over its movements. An aerodynamic tail is also much lighter. The robot with a tail can accelerate much faster than a robot without one.
A team of Japanese researchers at Keio University in Tokyo has taken this idea of adapting an animal tail one step further. They have designed a wearable human tail which can be attached to the body via a harness and help the wearer to correct their balance in the same way at animals do.
The tail contains sensors and four artificial muscles which allow it to move in response to the wearer’s movements. If you lean left the tail swings right, if you lean down the tail swings upward. The counter movement provides enough force to change the body’s momentum, helping to correct balance and give greater stability.
The researchers initially focused on cat and tiger tails however they proved too light to affect the body’s balance. When they switched focus to a Seahorse’s tail they found a solution that is larger and heavier but gives the necessary amount of force and momentum. The tail is about 5% of the wearer’s body weight.
The tail may be used by the elderly to aid in stability or to provide extra support for jobs that require lifting heavy objects. There may also be applications in the entertainment industry for providing haptic feedback. For example in a VR setting the tail may swing to unbalance you to mimic walking into a strong wind.
I know that several of my readers are heading into the stage of life where a little more assistance staying upright would not go astray. Once it is commercialized I will try and secure you a bulk purchase discount.
Electronic Skin
We have spoken about a range of wearable devices that will be able to provide ongoing health and wellness feedback. They will assist in early identification of any problems that you may have. The original devices were bulky and needed significant battery power. Over time they have become smaller and more power efficient, some even generating their own power through sweat and movement.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have gone one step further and developed an electronic skin that will be able to monitor heart rate and other vital signs. The skin will also be able to detect the smallest body movements via electronic signals from muscle movement. An LCD display that will show on the back of your hand is also being developed. You will be able to see your progress and loved ones can send emojis that will show up on your hand.
The ultimate goal is to monitor many different types of human information, easily and continuously without disrupting daily activity. The E-skin was initially developed to monitor elderly people’s health for long periods of time. This allows identification of the early signs of illness and to keep track of chronic diseases.
During Covid lockdowns some athletes were using the E-skin to send data to their coaches. E-skin may become the ultimate fitness tracker.
Electric Seaplane
We have spoken at length about electric cars, boats and planes. Regent, a Boston based startup has developed an electric seaplane. It is an all electric, passenger carrying seaplane that is capable of flying up to 290 kilometers at up to 290 kilometers per hour.
Designed to transport people quickly and easily between coastal cities, the Seaglider dramatically reduces fuel and maintenance costs. The plane uses traditional docks and operates a few meters above the water during its’ journey. It is expected that future generations of battery technology will allow the plane to fly up to 800 kilometers per charge.
Paying it Forward
If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and feature the startup in this newsletter. Also if any startups need introductions please get in touch and I will help where I can.
If you have any questions or comments please email me via my website craigcarlyon.com or comment below.
I would also appreciate it if you could forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested.
Till next week.