Worth Sharing

WS

Stories That Matter

# Science

Doctor Geek Saves Thousands for UK Health System Making Plastic Bones

avatar By Jeanne Goddard

03 Nov 2011 48 views
Size Print
Email
Doctor Geek Saves Thousands for UK Health System Making Plastic Bones
A trainee surgeon, who is also a self-confessed 'technology geek,' has figured out a way to save the U.K. National Health program a lot of money by taking advantage of 3D-printer technology.

A trainee surgeon has figured out a way to save the U.K. National Health program a lot of money by taking advantage of 3D-printer technology.

Success in orthopedic operations relies on surgeons having an accurate 3D model of the area where the operation will take place. Such models take time to produce and cost up to £1200 ($1,915).

Mark Frame, a self-confessed ‘technology geek,' used free open source software to convert CT scans into files which are readable by some 3D printers. Within a week, the first plastic 3D model of a child's forearm was produced and delivered at a cost of just £77 ($123).

(READ the story, or WATCH the video in BBC News)

Tags:
avatar

About author

More posts

# Science

Vancouver Students Take Their Plastic Eating Bacteria Idea to TED Stage

High School seniors Miranda Wang and Jeanny Yao want to continue pursuing a solution for how to make plastic decompose using natural bacteria already evolving on the planet. The two were finalists for Canada's top student biotechnology award, the 2012 Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge, where their project was judged to have the greatest commercial potential of any project entry, valued at $10 million. Now they are bringing their ideas to the TED stage.

# Science

Higgs Boson Scientists Win Nobel Prize in Physics

Two theoretical physicists who suggested that an invisible ocean of energy suffusing space is responsible for the mass and diversity of the particles in the universe won the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday morning. The theory, elucidated in 1964 by Peter Higgs, 84, of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and François Englert, 80, of the University Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, sent physicists on a generation-long search for the Higgs boson (also referred to as the God particle).

# Science

UK Team Builds Robot Fish to Detect Pollution

Robot fish developed by British scientists are to be released into the sea off north Spain to detect pollution. The team hopes to use the five-foot-long robotic fish to find pollution in rivers, lakes and seas across the world.

# Science

Coal Waste Could Save Billions on Road Repairs

Fly ash, a byproduct of coal-burning electric power plants, could save billions of dollars if used in the repairing of U.S. bridges and roads, scientists told a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday.

You might be interested in

Be the first to comment

Leave a Comment

Recent Stories
  • A Heartfelt Reminder to Appreciate the Ones We Love
    05 Sep 143 Views
  • Cherish the Woman Who Stands by You
    05 Sep 111 Views
  • Breaking Generational Cycles of Pain
    05 Sep 124 Views
  • Living by Your Own Values, Not Others' Approval
    05 Sep 165 Views
  • When Life Brings Rain, It’s Okay to Rest
    05 Sep 609 Views
  • Before You Judge Someone's Life, Take a Moment to Walk in Their Shoes.
    05 Sep 291 Views