Heads, shoulders, knees and toes at 3D printing exhibition

A 3D printed artificial hand will be among the exhibits on show at the Science Museum’s 3D: Printing the Future exhibition.

Chrysanthemum by Michaella Janse van Vurren
Chrysanthemum by Michaella Janse van Vurren

The hand belongs to carpenter Richard Van, who lost four fingers in an accident and has made the blueprint of the replacement hand freely available to anyone on line.

Presumably he’s printed out several hands and the one on display isn’t his only copy.

Robohand by Richard Van As and Makerbot

Source: Richard Van As and Makerbot

Robohand by Richard Van As and Makerbot

The new exhibition will introduce the latest technology and processes involved in 3D printing before taking visitors on a journey showing usage in industry, medicine and small-scale projects and business applications.

As well as Van’s hands we’ll be shown that there is potential for printing replacement body parts including teeth, ears, even simple organs.

Sculpture by Michaella Janse van Vurren
Sculpture by Michaella Janse van Vurren

Engineers meanwhile are using 3D printing to create lighter and more efficient parts for aeroplanes and space probes, which has potential cost savings.

There will also be a chance to see Inversive Embodyment by Tobias Klein, a piece printed in nylon which somehow combines data from MRI scans of Klein’s body with MRI scans of the structure of St Paul’s Cathedral.

Inversive Embodyment by Tobias Klein

Source: Ute Klein

Inversive Embodyment by Tobias Klein

3D: Printing The Future will run at the Science Museum Exhibition Road, London, SW7 from 9 October 2013 – July 2014

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