3D-printed tagged posts

Made-to-Order Diagnostic Tests may be on the Horizon

McGill University researchers have made a breakthrough in diagnostic technology, inventing a ‘lab on a chip’ that can be 3D-printed in just 30 minutes. The chip has the potential to make on-the-spot testing widely accessible.

As part of a recent study, the results of which were published in the journal Advanced Materials, the McGill team developed capillaric chips that act as miniature laboratories.

Unlike other computer microprocessors, these chips are single-use and require no external power source — a simple paper strip suffices.

They function through capillary action — the very phenomena by which a spilled liquid on the kitchen table spontaneously wicks into the paper towel used to wipe it up.

“Traditional diagnostics require peripherals, while ours can circumvent them...

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Fully 3D-printed, Flexible OLED Display

The fully 3D-printed flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display prototype is about 1.5 inches on each side and has 64 pixels. Every pixel works and displays light. The 3D-printed display is also flexible, which could make it useful for a wide variety of applications, such as foldable smartphone displays. Credit: McAlpine Group, University of Minnesota

Technology opens door to ubiquitous, more easily fabricated electronic screens. In a groundbreaking new study, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities used a customized printer to fully 3D print a flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display...

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