FOR KIDS: ?Print? almost anything

3-D printers allow people to build almost anything they can imagine ? from toys to food, buildings to body parts

3-D printers allow people to build almost anything they can imagine ? from toys to food, buildings to body parts

By Stephen Ornes

Web edition: May 3, 2013

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'Printed' ear

Researchers at Cornell University printed an ear out of collagen "ink." Eventually cartilage grew on the printed structure, forming an otherwise real ear.

Credit: Lindsay France/Cornell University Photography

Imagine having a printer hooked up to your computer that could make anything. Tired of your toothbrush? No problem. Print a new one. Want a chocolate treat? Print it. Need a new dress, new shoes or maybe just new cleats for soccer? Just choose a style and size. Then print, print and print some more.

And why stop there? You might print a fake dinosaur bone. You might also print out a life-size copy of your own head. You could print another printer for a friend. And if your printer was big enough, it could print out the body of a car or even a new house.

No one machine can make all of these things, but three-dimensional printers are getting very close.

Visit the new Science News for Kids website and read the full story:??Print? almost anything

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350159/title/FOR_KIDS_Print_almost_anything

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