3D Printing Transforming Face Transplants

The 3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, technology has been inserted in several medicine areas, where, in special, face transplants have been profiting a lot from this insert. Because this technology leads us to the new reality of customization, it is possible to reproduce unique forms and sizes. This factor has been enabled medicine to improve face transplants, and to provide people hope and a new perspective of life. 

3D printed model used in planning
a face transplant surgery.
Credits: Radiological Society of North America

Most part of people that need this kind of procedure had been through surgeries as an attempt to recover at least part of their faces and, sometimes, even body functions like eating, breathing and talking. In the article "3D Printing Can Improve Face Transplants", the author Tia Ghose emphasizes that, at the moment of the transplant, the person's face may have plates, screws, bone grafts and a lot of other small modifications, and that is mandatory that the new face fit perfectly around all these parts. Furthermore, according to doctor Rybicki, with 3D printing, his team can discern where these elements are, and, consequently, the surgeries tend to go more smoothly and quickly.

A famous case is about a woman called Carmen Tartelon, whose, according to Dana Dovey in the article "3D Printers Give Face Transplant Patients A Dramatic Transformation And Improved Quality Of Life", estranged husband broke into her house and, with a baseball bat, beat her. In addition, he also threw an industrial strength lye on her, that burnt the skin and the muscles of her face in a way that what she had left was just a little bit more than her skull. In her case, it was necessary to print soft tissues, what is extremely difficult to visualize, and printing them requires a sophisticated technique, and that is why 3D printing was so useful.

Carmen Tartelon after face transplant
CBS screenshot

Besides helping surgeons with face transplants, it can also help them with other facial reconstructions. For example, when the patient's jaw need to be reconstructed, usually a piece of rib or leg bone is removed to restore the jaw, but using 3D printing it is possible to make this cut more precisely. Furthermore, doctors are also having the opportunity to get the necessary bone from another region, from the femur or from the thigh, because, different from the rib, they have their own bloody supply, and for that reason there is no risk of collapse. 

The improvement provided by the 3D printing technology is just one thing that we can profit from it. As pointed out above, it is also possible to create different and better alternatives with the models that can be printed. Nowadays, it is still considered as an expensive technology, it really is. However, the current accessibility, that we have, has been showing us the benefits of it. I think that, as the author of  "3D printing: 10 factors still holding it back", Lyndsey Gilpin, emphasizes, the usability of this technology to customize 

3D Printer
Credits: digitaltrends.com

smartphone cases, or other personal items will not help to expand it. It is not something really necessary in our lives, however, the 3D printing being used in the medicine field is a common interest for the whole population. What if we start using it to improve security systems or other medical procedures? I do not know specifically how, but it is possible and I am pretty sure that would change people's perception about it. Furthermore, the price would not be considered a big problem, in the case of a hospital, for example, it is not necessary one 3D printer for each patient, because one equipment could be useful for several areas. In conclusion, the overall usefulness of this technology should be focused on before anything else.



Sources:

- Ghose, T. (2014). 3D Printing Can Improve Face Transplants. LiveScience.
Retrieved from: http://www.livescience.com/48950-3d-printing-face-transplants-models.html

- Dovey, D. (2014). 3D Printers Give Face Transplant Patients A Dramatic Transformation And Improved Quality Of Life. Innovation.
Retrieved from: http: //www.medicaldaily.com/3d-printers-give-face-transplant-patients-dramatic-transformation-and-improved-313124

- Gilpin, L. (2014). 3D printing: 10 factors still holding it back. TechRepublic.
Retrieved from: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/3d-printing-10-factors-still-holding-it-back/#.

- Fleming, M. (2014). What is 3D Printing? An Overview. 3DPrinter.
Retrieved from: http://www.3dprinter.net/reference/what-is-3d-printing

Wearable Technology is all About Convenience and Necessity

According to Steve Mann's definition of wearable computer presented by the author of the article "Definition of  'Wearable Computer'", wearable computer is a computer different from the regular ones, that takes place into the user's own space and can be controlled by him/her. The main difference is that a wearable computer is always on and the user can access it any time it is convenient.

Usually, most part of the tasks that can be executed by a wearable computers can also be completed using a smartphone or a regular computer. What makes them different is the purpose they were created to. As the author of the article "Why Wearable Tech Will Be as Big as the Smartphone", Bill Wasik, emphasizes, the data that people need will not be helpful if they will not be able to access it exactly when they need. That is why we can say that the wearable technology came to supply the necessity of accessing your computer/smartphone while executing some other activity that requires a lot of your attention. 

Cycling with the Recon Jet - The first heads-up display for sports.

Skiing with the Snow2 - The next generation display for alpine sports.

Both products displayed above were created by the Recon company, that was founded by a man who saw in his own need, as a recent ex-athlete, the opportunity to provide the information people want to access when they are practicing sports. Being aware of the data they need can give them some advantage in a competition, for example.

Besides providing the user the ability to access a computer and realize another activity at the same time, one other very important feature of the wearable computer is that the user will see only the essential data. No distractions will be available, so the user will be able to get exactly what he/she needs and nothing else. Furthermore, this is one more aspect that makes it more convenient than a smartphone in situations where the user should be only focused on completing his task effectively.

Not only helpful in sports, the wearable computer can also be very advantageous in daily activities. As the author of the article "What is a wearable computer" points out, because this technology can provide a greater degree of encapsulation between the user and the computer, it can give us a better sense of perception of the world that is around us. Thus, we have the ability to obtain as many data as it is convenient for us at the moment. Moreover, our awareness of what is nearby us enhances according to the amount of data we get from the wearable computer. 

What makes the wearable technology attractive is the convenience that is provides for the users. The possibility of having a computer attached to you while you do other activities, with no distractions, is what turns it so interesting. In addition, the fact that this computer will directly satisfy the need of the user also increases its usability. 

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Sources:

- N.A. (1998). Definition of Wearable Computer. Wearcomp.

Retrieved from: http://wearcomp.org/wearcompdef.html

- Wasik, B. (2013). Why Wearable Tech Will Be as Big as the Smartphone. Wired.

Retrieved from:  http://www.wired.com/2013/12/wearable-computers/

- Bilton, N. (2012). Wearable Computers Are the Next Big Devices, Report Says. Bits.

Retrieved from: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/wearable-computers-are-the-next-platform-wars-report-says/?_r=0