Science_Illustrated_Australia_-_Issue70_2019

scienceillustrated.com.au | 75

By Andreas Ebbesen Jensen

RUBBER BONES A hyperflexible material can help organic bones grow out.

TITANIUM HIP Customised hip implants made of titanium are better when attached to the bones.

Hip prostheses can

work loose from the

bones to which they

are attached. With

3D-printed hip sockets

made of titanium,

doctors can create

accurate, durable

implants with pores

that allow bone

and implant to

grow together.

A 3D-printed version

of the human spine is

made of a hyperfl exible

material. It can be

implanted as a type

of scaffolding for new

bone tissue to grow on.

The hyperfl exible

bones are converted

into ordinary bones.

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