Make a mouse skeleton using a 3D printer

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana have anesthetized a mouse, and use a CT scan to obtain a 3D digital model from mouse skeleton data. This model is sent to the 3D printer maker MakerBot, resulting in them having accurate replica plastic mice skeleton.

According to Gizmag, researchers will also make copies this way for mouse organs. It is hoped that such copies will also be made available to humans and animals. These models will be cheap to benefit the study of students in the surgery.

Scientists are also in the process of creating a model of the patient's organs for the doctors to check before performing the surgery.

The project was initiated by Evan Doney and carried out in the lab of assistant professor W.Matther Leevy. Gizmag said last year Dutch artist Caspar Berger also asked 3D to reproduce his skeleton through data obtained from CT Scan.