3D Printing to help create Smart Bandages
The world of medicine has taken great leaps this year thanks to 3D printing, but new innovations aren’t stopping yet! Thanks to 3D printing and a team of researchers at Swansea University in the UK, a new innovation for medicine has been born and it goes by the name of “Smart Bandage”.
This research project, which was led by the Institute of Life Science (ILS) at Swansea University, wanted to help fix a common issue when it comes to wounds and bandages, and that is the issue of not knowing if a wound is properly healing after the bandage is applied. With the Smart Bandage, the guessing game is over thanks to sensors and 5G data transfer technology, which could help doctors track the healing progress of their patient’s wounds while reducing the amount of check-ups needed.
Marc Clement, Chairman of ILS
“5G is an opportunity to produce resilient, robust bandwidth that is always there for the purpose of healthcare,” explains Marc Clement, Chairman of ILS. “This is a multi-technology approach, with nanotechnology, nano-electronics, printing and coating biochemistry all interconnecting through 5G infrastructure to allow us to deliver health care for a wound patient that delivers better patient outcomes and better quality of life”.
When creating the bandage, the researchers used 3D printing to help make it more customizable and affordable for future patients. Packing the bandage with tiny sensors that were developed by nanotechnology experts, the bandage will have the ability to monitor the wound and enable them to “tailor the treatment protocol to the individual wound in question”.
The Smart Bandages’ clinical trial phase has already begun and is taking place through the Swansea University’s ARCH (A Regional Collaboration For Health) in the Southwest Wales region. The trials themselves are expected to continue throughout the rest of the year, with hopefully positive results that can help change the future of medicine to give patients innovative, next level treatment.
What do you think of this new innovation in 3D printing health? Do you think 3D printing could be the future for bandage care? Let us know in a comment below or on our Facebook and Twitter pages!
