Longtime Washington DC resident Rano Singh, on a mission to prepare traditional Indian meals, became frustrated with the lack of spices available in her town. Even with regular trips to suburban Indian grocery stores, she found that often what greets customers are spices…
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Launching her line just over a year ago (after giving birth to her daughter), May Lindstrom has already reached global cult status with her nonconformist, handmade skincare products—in particular her eyebrow-raising “);…
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Dusk was designed to offer seniors and their families peace of mind when it comes to mind and body. The 2-part system includes a health monitoring band that monitors the wearer’s vitals, reporting stats directly back to loved ones and alerting paramedics in the event of an emergency. For interpersonal support, the 2nd part of the system uses a projector for real time video and photo sharing with family members.
Designer: Subinay Malhotra
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(Virtual Companion for Grandparents was originally posted on Yanko Design)
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Getting older isn’t all “silver fox” gray hairs and acquiring sage wisdom; running up the years has a few downsides. Staying healthy enough year-in, year-out to do the sports we love—from charging backcountry powder in the mountains…
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Almost everything is pristinely white inside this dental clinic in Sicily by architecture studio Bureauhub, from the walls and floors to furniture, equipment and staff uniforms (photos by Roland Halbe + slideshow).
Aptly named White Space, the interior was designed by Bureauhub for a pre-existing orthodontic practice located in the city of Catania.
The architects began their renovation by installing a large Corian volume that wraps around several rooms inside the clinic to accommodate a variety of different functions and activities.
It integrates information screens and pull-out coat hooks in the reception area, and also curves down on one side to provide patient seating and magazine storage.
Elsewhere, it accommodates touch screens and remote controls for X-rays and medical information systems, as well as display walls for dental photography and other pin-up items.
“We envisioned an implant concept, based on the typical orthodontic use of high-precision medical devices, as a design principle throughout the space,” explained the architects.
The clinic has a clientele of mostly children, so Bureauhub also installed a piece of custom-designed furniture that combines a desk for writing and drawing with a grotto containing bubble-shaped hiding places.
“We aimed to tickle senses and curiosity, reversing the typical expectations of a waiting area into a self-exploration environment,” said the architects.
A signage system comprising 21 different symbols was developed to aid orientation around the clinic. Each symbol is milled into the Corian at children’s eye level, while a back-lit wall offers a guide to what each one means.
Photography is by Roland Halbe.
Here’s a project description from Bureauhub:
White Space
White Space is an private orthodontic clinic for an opinion leader and luminary who is applying and researching most advanced techniques and materials in his discipline.
We envisioned an implant concept, based on the typical orthodontic use of high-precision medical devices, as a design principle throughout the space. Interior wall surfaces and furniture merge seamlessly into a continuous white shell of DuPontTM Corian® where cutting edge medical technology are implanted.
The plug-in components are ranging from ergonomic deformations like coat hangers or toothbrush holder folded out of the Corian® cladding up to technical implants like a touch screen and remote button for x-ray control or TV screens for medical information.
Since 80% of the clinic patients are represented by children, we aimed to tickle senses and curiosity, reversing the typical expectations of a waiting area into a self-exploration environment.
Core of the patient lounges is a multifunctional furniture designed ad-hoc to entertain with pedagogical value: on one side three intersecting void spheres form a grotto-like space to be explored by children, while on the other side a surface equipped with niches for pencils and comic strips is dedicated to study and sketching.
A playful signage graphic with custom designed icons CNC milled into the white Corian® skin is positioned intentionally at children’s eye level. It refers to the softly glowing backlit graphic panel indicating the spatial organisation of the clinic. Here backlighting is created by pioneer use of OLED lighting modules, next generation sustainable light source produced with organic electroluminescent material that will help reduce CO2 emissions.
Main focus of the futuristic environment is based upon all handcrafted built-in components meticulously designed up to the smallest details and recalling the precision and craftsmanship of orthodontics. Every single detail experiences a subtle spatial presence, accentuating the abstraction and scalelessness of the ephemeral, monochromatic environment in a playful and poetical way.
Project Name: White Space Orthodontic Clinic
Architect: bureauhub architecture
Location: Via Teseo 13, 95126 Catania, Italy
Building Type: Private Orthodontic Clinic
Building Area: 220 m2 (NFA) / 257 m2 (GFA)
Client: Dr. Davide Agatino Mirabella
The post White Space orthodontic clinic with
Corian walls by Bureauhub appeared first on Dezeen.
The natural, artisanal and small-batch renaissance hasn’t left the pet world untouched—with some hits (like CH favorite Bocce’s Bakery) and some misses. Spoil Me Rotten Dog Biscuits are the newest to receive paw-prints of approval…
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News: researchers in Australia have developed a pen to deposit regenerative stem cells onto damaged bone and cartilage in a process similar to 3D printing.
The BioPen was created in the laboratories of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) at the University of Wollongong in New South Wales. It combines principles from 3D printing with stem cell research to enable missing or diseased bone to be replaced faster and more accurately.
The device extrudes cell material in a biopolymer such as seaweed extract, combined in the nozzle with a second layer of protective gel, so the surgeon can fill in areas where bone or cartilage is missing by “drawing” across the surface.
In a process similar to 3D printing, the material is deposited in layers. Each layer is exposed to ultraviolet light from a source attached to the pen, hardening the gel so further layers can be added, eventually building a three-dimensional framework.
The protective gel gradually degrades as the cells it contains begin to multiply and grow into new tissue to repair the damaged area. An additional polymer layer can be added to increase the structural strength of the material within the wound, while drugs that stimulate cellular growth or aid recovery can also be added to the cell-loaded material.
The key benefit of the handheld technique over the current process of injecting stem cells into the injury site is that surgeons have more control over where to deposit the cell-loaded material and can create customised implants as they work, speeding up the process and reducing the amount of time the patient spends in surgery.
“This type of treatment may be suitable for repairing acutely damaged bone and cartilage, for example from sporting or motor vehicle injuries,” said Professor Peter Choong, BioPen co-developer and director of orthopaedics at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. “Professor Wallace’s research team brings together the science of stem cells and polymer chemistry to help surgeons design and personalise solutions for reconstructing bone and joint defects in real time.”
The researchers at ACES have now passed the BioPen on to Professor Peter Choong, who will head a team working on refining the cell material ahead of clinical trials.
“The combination of materials science and next-generation fabrication technology is creating opportunities that can only be executed through effective collaborations such as this,” said ACES director Professor Gordon Wallace.
Photography is by Mark Newsham from the University of Wollongong.
Here are some more details about the project:
BioPen to rewrite orthopaedic implants surgery
A handheld “bio pen” developed in the labs of the University of Wollongong will allow surgeons to repair damaged and diseased bone material by delivering live cells and growth factors directly to the site of injury, accelerating the regeneration of functional bone and cartilage.
Researchers from the UOW-headquartered Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) have developed the prototype BioPen that will give surgeons greater control over where the materials are deposited while also reducing the time the patient is in surgery.
Delivery of stem cells and/or growth factors into the injury site is currently through injection of a biomaterial carrier.
The BioPen works similarly to 3D printing methods by delivering cell material inside a biopolymer such as alginate, a seaweed extract, protected by a second, outer layer of gel material. The two layers of gel are combined in the pen head as it is extruded onto the bone surface and the surgeon “draws” with the ink to fill in the damaged bone section.
A low powered ultra-violet light source is fixed to the device, allowing for the inks to be cured during dispensing and built up layer-by-layer. Following curing, the shell material will maintain its form, and allow the surgeon to construct a 3D scaffold in the wound site.
The composition of the cell-loaded material also provides greater protection and retention of cells in the wound site and can be surrounded by a polymer core to add structural strength to the surgical site. It can also be seeded with growth factors or other drugs to assist regrowth and recovery.
All components in the implantable material are non toxic and tuned to degrade as the cells begin to populate and remodel the injured bone area. The design of the device allows it to be easily transported and the surgeon can operate with ease and precision in theatre.
The BioPen prototype was designed and built using the 3D printing equipment in the labs at the University of Wollongong and was this week handed over to clinical partners at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, led by Professor Peter Choong, who will work on optimising the cell material for use in clinical trials.
The BioPen will help build on recent work by ACES researchers where they were able to grow new knee cartilage from stem cells on 3D-printed scaffolds to treat cancers, osteoarthritis and traumatic injury.
Professor Peter Choong, Director of Orthopaedics at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and the Sir Hugh Devine Professor of Surgery, University of Melbourne said: “This type of treatment may be suitable for repairing acutely damaged bone and cartilage, for example from sporting or motor vehicle injuries. Professor Wallace’s research team brings together the science of stem cells and polymer chemistry to help surgeons design and personalise solutions for reconstructing bone and joint defects in real time.”
The BioPen will be transferred to St Vincent’s for clinical projects to be carried out at the proposed Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery in Melbourne.
“The combination of materials science and next-generation fabrication technology is creating opportunities that can only be executed through effective collaborations such as this,” ACES Director Professor Gordon Wallace said. “What’s more, advances in 3D printing are enabling further hardware innovations in a rapid manner.”
Design expertise and fabrication of the BioPen was supported by the Materials Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility, hosted at the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus.
The post 3D-printing BioPen “draws” with living cells
to repair damaged bones appeared first on Dezeen.
News: 3D-printed eye cells could “aid in the cure of blindness” according to researchers at The University of Cambridge, who have successfully printed adult nerve cells for the first time.
The researchers used an inkjet printer to print living retinal cells of adult rats, which could be built up and used to create replacements for defective eye tissues.
“This is the first time that cells from the adult central nervous system have been successfully printed,” professor Keith Martin told Dezeen. “We’ve demonstrated that you can take cells from the retina and you can effectively separate them out. These can be put in an inkjet printer and we can print those cells out in any pattern we like and we’ve shown that those cells can survive and thrive.”
Martin and his colleagues at Cambridge’s neuroscience department, Wen-Kai Haiso and Barbara Lorber, published their findings in research journal Biofabrication yesterday.
“[This] is an important step in the development of tissue grafts for regenerative medicine and may aid in the cure of blindness,” said the article.
Martin hopes the development is a step towards treating retinal diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration, the two biggest causes of blindness in the UK.
Their study is the first to show that retinal ganglion cells, which transmit signals from the eye to the brain, and glial cells that support this process can be printed in layers on top of each other without damaging them.
“The retina is a multi-layered structure,” said Martin. “We’ve shown that we can put down at least two layers so we can put down glial cells and 3D print retinal ganglion cells over the top.”
The team found that the cells weren’t distorted when fired out of the printer at high speed, counter to predictions.
“Effectively you can fire these cells at about 30 miles per hour and they survive that perfectly well,” said Martin. “[This] was a real surprise to us because we didn’t expect the cells to be able to survive being fired out of a cannon.”
Having successfully printed a layer of nerve cells and a layer of support cells, Martin says that the next step will be to print multiple layers to build up a full retina.
“What we’re looking to do now is to develop this towards ways of repairing the retina,” he told us. “With time there’s no reason why you can’t print multiple different cell types in the same way that you print multiple different colours of ink. Building up 3D structures is the next step.”
Martin envisages that this could be done either by engineering a retina on a synthetic membrane or similar support structure and implanting it into the eye or by developing tools that would allow the printed cells to be sprayed onto the back of the eye.
“There have been really amazing advances with stem cell transplantation in the eye so this is a complementary technology that may be able to solve the problems we have with retinal repair,” he said.
Although human trials are a way off yet, Martin believes that these advances are opening possibilities for curing not just retinal problems but other neural conditions.
“This is a step forward and we’re working hard to develop this technology for human use,” he said. “We’re looking to develop this for other parts of neural repair.”
Last month we reported that 3D-printed prosthetic eyes have been developed, which could be produced much faster than existing handmade versions – reducing the cost by 97 percent.
The post 3D-printed eye cells could
“cure blindness” appeared first on Dezeen.
Yet another reminder that print isn’t dead: Minneapolis’ recently launched Greenroom Magazine. Given the Twin Cities’ long history of underground hip-hop, electronic and house music, Greenroom is shedding light on…
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The numerous options available in the protein bar aisle of the grocery store can be overwhelming—and oftentimes taste disappointingly stale and synthetic. While in need of a pick-me-up when transferring at LAX, we discovered Tosi SuperBites:…
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