3D printing has always been looked at as a solution to numerous challenges, including but not limited to space exploration.
evolution has made man quite adaptable to gravity and the earth’s environment,
But what happens
when we force our bodies to live outside the environments
it is adapted to?
As man seeks to expand his reach into space,
we are tasked with the
challenges of space exploration,
like the most obvious things like lack of food, water, and oxygen,
not to mention radiation and other potential toxic environments of alien worlds.
If you get hurt on Earth,
you have access to a world’s worth of infrastructures,
such as over-the-counter drugs and healthcare systems.
If you acquire a flesh wound in space,
however, your crewmates will hear you scream, but they will have limited options for helping you.
SpaceX’s 24th commercial resupply mission to the ISS,
which was launched back in the last quarter of 2021,
carries with it a handheld device known as the Bioprint First Aid handheld bioprinter, or bioprint FirstAid for short.
This innovation is a result of an experiment by a German agency hoping to solve this problem with bioprinted bandages created using the astronaut’s cells themselves.
While pre-existing technologies used bulky machinery and additional time for the patches to mature,
The Bioprint First aid is compact and manual needing no batteries or external power source to use.
Because the patch will contain cells from the target patient,
using bioprinted skin patches for wound healing reduces the likelihood of rejection.
A handheld gadget, such as the Bioprint FirstAid, expands therapy possibilities.
Doctors and emergency responders may take the device to where the patients are, eliminating the need for them to be in a hospital.
Space wounds heal differently
However, the advantages of space travel should not be overlooked. Astronauts in space heal differently than people on the ground.
Because low gravity extends the time it takes for injuries to heal,
scientists are hoping that bioprinting will help bridge the gap in the event of an injury during long-duration space missions when traditional medical intervention isn’t accessible.
NASA has made no secret of its desire to return humans to the Moon
as well as perform longer-duration trips to Mars and other destinations.
Other organizations, such as the European Space Agency (ESA),
the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and SpaceX,
will almost certainly be involved in exploring the solar system; developing systems for more easily treating injuries in space will likely become increasingly important as our time spent in space increases.
Source: Futurism, Yahoo news
