The idea of growing organs or tissues for medical use still sounds like science fiction — and indeed, it's an incredibly difficult thing to do. 3D-printing technology has shown some promise in the field of biofabrication, but the process is too slow, and often damages the tissue it's working with. Researchers in Germany may have a solution: using holograms and sound fields to rapidly assemble matter in 3D.The process uses acoustic pressure to mold silica gel microspheres and other materials into complex 3D shapes. Pulling that off isn't easy. The team first had to learn how to create complex, layered holographic shapes that were formed from sound, rather than light — and that takes an incredible amount of computational power. "The digitization of an entire 3D object into ultrasound hologram fields is computationally very demanding and required us to come up with a new computation routine," one of the team's researchers told FastCompany.Once the hologram is complete, however, it can be used to mold various materials. The shapes the team has made so far aren't very large — measuring less than an inch at the largest — but they are fairly complex. Even more impressive, the fabrication process happens quite quickly: One video included with the published study shows a clear cube with a cloudy liquid made of silica gel microspheres. Moments later, that cloud condenses into the shape of a helix.Other experiments formed shapes using mouse myoblast cells, and the study's lead... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2023-03-02 21:40:40 UTC ]
Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Thu, 10/11/2011 - 09:00 Christopher Paolini is likely to turn his hand to science fiction for his next work, as the final book in his epic Inheritance Cycle series is published this week. The series has sold 4.5m in export and UK sales, including... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 11/10/2011 - 14:30 Amazon.com has announced its seventh imprint, a science fiction, fantasy and horror brand called 47North, which has launched with 15 books. The imprint name is based on the latitude co-ordinates of Seattle, where Amazon was... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 26/09/2011 - 11:48 Angry Robot has appointed Little, Brown online marketing manager Darren Turpin to the role of marketing and digital manager. Turpin will join the company on 7th November and report directly to Marc Gascoigne, publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 04/08/2011 - 14:30 Orbit commissioning editor Bella Pagan will be joining Tor, Pan Macmillan's science fiction and fantasy imprint, as a senior commissioning editor on 1st November. Pagan will report to Pan Macmillan fiction publisher... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 06/07/2011 - 09:19 The third edition of the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction is to be released online later this year by ESF Ltd, a new company set up by the contributors to the book, in association with Orion imprint Victor Gollancz. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Thu, 28/04/2011 - 07:32 Lauren Beukes's Zoo City has been honoured with the Arthur C Clarke Award for science fiction novel of the year, being tipped to bring "a whole new readership" to the genre. Zoo City's publisher Angry Robot Books has also... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 20/04/2011 - 09:45 The BBC is broadcasting an item on The Culture Show about science fiction next month, in the wake of a row about the broadcasters approach to genre fiction. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 18/04/2011 - 09:19 Authors including Iain M Banks and Michael Moorcock have written to the BBC's director general Mark Thompson, attacking the treatment of genre fiction in its recent World Book Night coverage. In total 85 authors, across the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this