How might we preserve the human body in the future?

josh's new spine

‘Hopeful Future’ for my best friend. Backround picture taken from (.) Picture of the spine taken from (Lee, Jason. “3D-printed Vertebra Used in Spine Surgery.” CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 22 Aug. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.)

 

I think that one option is to explore the ways that 3d printing can aid in reliving the effects of disease and disorder on the human skeletal structure. I want to create a 3D printed section of spine suffering from the affects of Cerebral Palsy.

Spastic Quadriplegic cerebral palsy

X-ray picture of a spine from a patient with severe spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. (http://www.jaaos.org/cgi/content-nw/full/14/6/367/JA0009604FIG1)

Interestingly, as I worked on this assignment I found that the actual process of taking pictures and choosing and manipulating images affected my project more then the actual images did themselves. The first pictures I took were of my friend Josh. Going over to his house and talking with him about my project and taking pictures was a real reminder of the reason I chose this topic to begin with. Discussing his Cerebral Palsy with him really brought the whole thing into a very personal light and reminded me that its about people as well as printing. Working with the images also helped me consider the visual aspect of the work that I am doing. Seeing actual spines, and comparing them with my own prototypes highlighted the similarities and the differences between them. While I realize that the vertebra I have printed are artistic representations they are nonetheless recognizable. I feel that this small detail is what really matters. Because even if they aren’t perfect, if people know what they are, my idea still gets out there.

 

Combination picture of a spine model, a spine model implanted with a traditionally used titanium tube and a spine model implanted with a 3D printed artificial axis, are seen at Peking University Third Hospital in Beijing

3d printed Vertebra Implant. (Lee, Jason. “3D-printed Vertebra Used in Spine Surgery.” CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 22 Aug. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.)

 

800px-Lumbar_vertebrae

Image of a real lumbar vertebra. (“Lumbar Vertebrae.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. .)

 

Screen Shot 2014-11-18 at 10.09.56 AM

Screenshot of my project in progress. This shot shows how i had slice the vertebra in half in order, for it to be able to print. The shot also shows the dimensions of one of the halves.

 

IMG_4381

I took this picture showing the 3d printer in the printing process, printing the vertebra i designed.

 

 

IMG_4471

This is an image I took of one of the 3d printed vertebra that i designed.

 

This  Work Cited is still in progress. Thank you for your patience.

Work Cited

Military Wallpapers – Desktop Wallpapers. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <http://wallpaperswa.com/Aircraft/Military/watersofeuropa_1680x1050_wallpapers_with_futuristic_environments_military_stuff_and_such8230_1_78805>.

Lee, Jason. “3D-printed Vertebra Used in Spine Surgery.” CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 22 Aug. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/3d-printed-vertebra-used-in-spine-surgery/>.

2014. Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing. By Jason Lee.

http://www.jaaos.org/cgi/content-nw/full/14/6/367/JA0009604FIG1

“Lumbar Vertebrae.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumbar_vertebrae>.