Intricate Organic Molecules—Yeah, We Can 3D Print That

Medicine & Technology Mar 13, 2015

Perhaps you’re a neurobiologist looking to isolate endocanibinoids from human brains. Any volunteers to offer their brains up for study? You’re not likely to find any takers, but now thanks to some researchers at the University of Illinois, you may just be able to print your own. That’s right, print. In what the researchers are calling the next step in 3D-printing, with a version specifically designed to tailor to researchers, University of Illinois chemists led by lead researcher Martin Burke have develop a machine that can systematically synthesize thousands of different molecules basically from scratch.

New Pop-Up 3D Structures Mimic Neural Circuitry

Jan 13, 2015

Who knew that children's pop-up books could provide so much knowledge. According to researchers, scientists can now make complex microscopic 3D shapes that model brain circuitry and blood vessels by mimicking classic children's pop-up books.

Pop-Up Printing Techniques in the Age of 3D Printing

Jan 09, 2015

The age of 3D printing is upon us, and many individuals and companies alike have leveraged the power of 3D printing for everything from the manufacturing of parts to creating fully functioning prosthetic limbs. Now, researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a new fabrication technique that is simple and will create beautiful and complex 3D micro- and nanonstructures.