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Triple-Shape Plastics for Surgery
Roland Piquepaille writes "In Plastics' Day in Surgery, Red Herring reports that an international team of U.S. and German researchers has developed a new kind of plastic that can shift between three different shapes when the temperature increases. Even if these polymeric triple-shape materials have not emerged from the lab, they could eventually be employed as removable 'stents' and self-closing fasteners used by surgeons and more generally by the healthcare industry. The Emerging Tech ZDNet blog has additional references and pictures of these morphing plastics."
In Plastics Day in Surgery, Red Herring reports that an international team of U.S. and German researchers has developed a new kind of plastic that can shift between three different shapes when the temperature increases. Even if these polymeric triple-shape materials have not emerged from the lab, they could eventually be employed as removable stents and self-closing fasteners used by surgeons and more generally by the healthcare industry. But read more
This research work has been done partially at the MIT in Professor Robert Langers research lab. Please note that Ive already covered a previous Langers project in "Light Used to Design Shape-Shifting Plastics" (April 14, 2005).
For this new kind of plastic, Langer worked with Professor Andreas Lendlein, director of the Institute of Polymer Research at the GKSS Research Center in Teltow, Germany, and his team.
This research work has been published online before print by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) under the name "Polymeric triple-shape materials" (November 20, 2006). Here is a link to the abstract.
Below is a series of photographs illustrating this triple-shape effect. On the left is a tube which could be used as a stent and on the right is fastener consisting of a plate with anchors. From top to bottom, you can see the shape evolution when the temperature increases to 40C (in B) and 60C (in C). (Credit: MIT/GKSS Research Center). This image has been extracted from the PNAS paper mentioned above.
Picture
In "Morphing Materials Take On New Shapes," Technology Review describes this process in plain English.
But what would be these
Remember, there were no nuclear weapons before women were allowed to vote.
hello prosthetic "limb" and a warming massage oils
haha
(couldn't resist)
Plastic surgeons could create artificial boobies that can morph into three different shapes, depending on the weather. Four if you count erect nipples.
... and then they built the supercollider.
I could have sworn they used something like this in one of the Metal Gear games... But I think it was a key, instead of plastic. Could have been a plastic key.
Gamertag: WyleType
All of this brings new meaning to 98.6.
Anyone seen my jagged little pill?
I have some plastics that change shape with temperature. Its called melting?
All kidding aside.. think of the uses this might have in other fields.
Security- don't want someone opening your door? heat a blob and it keeps it closed.
Theme parks- Ever-changing water slides on hot days!
PC's- Talk about modding!
Brain hurts... kthxbye
I have a feeling that we will soon see a new generation of dildos.
I'm inclined to give the guy a break. Growing up with that name could not have been an easy row to hoe.
I didn't say I'd visit his blog or click through any of his sponsors, but I will give him a break, just based on the fact that I get a little chuckle whenever I read his name.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Now Michael Jackson can have a nose that morphs into different shapes to fit his mood and coordinate with his outfit!
Plea to the editors .. Can you give Roland his own category? Just put all his crap in there .. pay him whatever you like.
That way him and all his fans can have a huge kissfest orgy without inviting us.
Ever wonder why Roland's articles and his "read here for more information and pictures" dont get play on digg?
Just imagine the penis enlargement possibilities! Oh wait, this is Roland we're talking about... never mind.
nevermind the prosthetic "limb"... hello prosthetic girlfriend!
Push Button, Receive Bacon
So, how long until the iPod touchscreen will have a shape-changing plastic cover that allows for various dynamic tactile surfaces?
Hehe... I put my iPod in my pocket and my body heat changed it into an [insert your joke here]..
It is your personal duty to fight for what is right on a daily basis. Ignoring injustice is identical to approving
Self-sealing stembolts?
The concept of a temperature sensitive plastic is interesting but I have seen in clinical trials substances even more strange and amazing. These are substances with "reverse thermal gelation properties". In general, stuff is liquid when hot and when colled becomes solid (really just about any stuff in the world). Well-- substabnces have been created with reverse properties - that is they are liquids when coooler and SOLIDIFY when heated! THe first medical use was a spray on scar tissue prevention substance. It seals cut raw edges inside the body. Sprays on as a liquid (ie easy to apply and fills the nooks and crannies) then it solidifies as it warms and forms a shell like protective coating (not chocolate however) while the body heals underneath- then dissolves. The substance being tested is called Poloxamer 407 see another spray-on stuff to block adhesions with a video at (different mechanism here): http://docinthemachine.com/2006/09/16/sprayable-po lymer-system-antiadhesion-now-but-in-the-future-vi deo/
Woman: Come here, honey, I got what you want.
Man: Okay.
Some hot time later.... Shape 2:
Man: *doink!*
Woman: WTF is this?!
Man: That's just my Shape 2.
Woman: It just got curly!
Man: Uh huh.
Some more hot time later... Shape 3:
Man: *doink!*
Woman: AAAAUGH!
Man: What?!
Woman: It's like a cross between a watermelon and a raccoon!
I know it's not even out of the lab yet, but for the record, using this for removable stents is sketchy. I'm picturing a design where the stent automatically expands off the catheter as it reaches body temperature, and changing the temperature of the stent again (e.g. placing another balloon catheter in there and filling it with cold water) causes it to contract back onto a catheter. Depending on body chemistry, the blood vessel usually grows around the implanted stent over time, so to be removed, either (a) the stent needs to rip out of the vessel in order to contract again, if it's made out of these polymers, or (b) the surgeon resorts to open-heart surgery (this is what's normally done if stent implantation goes awry). So attempting to remove the stent after several weeks this way is a bad idea, but it might be possible to recover if there's a minor mistake during the actual surgery -- if the stent needs to be moved, the surgeon could squeeze some cold water into the catheter and try again, without resorting to open-heart surgery.
With traditional stainless-steel stents, there's no negative effect to leaving the stent inside the vessel permanently, since the vessel eventually envelops the stent. If there's a benefit to having the stent gone after 6+ months (e.g. patient has inconvenient body chemistry and is likely to develop excessive scar tissue around the stent), it would be better to make the stent out of a bioreabsorbable material, so that it disappears on its own, rather than needing another surgery to remove it.
Y-shaped vessels have always been a problem, and a stent that can fit itself to the vessel would be useful. Right now, the approach is to use a truncated-cone-shaped stent to prop open the Y, then use a second, normal stent to address the actual problem area. Without that first stent for support, placing a stent in either of the (upper) branches of the Y causes the other branch to collapse. This situation happens frequently, and there's money to be made in finding a one-stent solution -- if it's cheaper and safer than the existing two-stent solution.
Now, what happens to a person who has one of these stents in the event of fever or hypothermia? For open-heart surgery, the patient's blood is also cooled down, and this stent's antics could add another level of complexity to the surgery. Stainless steel, optionally coated with parylene, is the material of choice for stents now. It's flexible, durable, and stable inside the body. A triple-shape plastic would have to be just as flexible, durable and stable in order to be usable for implantable devices.
For self-sealing parts, this could be good. This material would be great for creating a seal or lock that can only be opened within a certain (safe) temperature range -- I could picture it being used in airplanes, spaceships, boats and submarines, and as a safety measure for lab equipment.