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US Military Working On 3D Printing Exact Replicas of Bones & Limbs

Posted by samzenpus on from the brand-new-you dept.

ErnieKey writes The U.S. military is working with technology that will allow them to create exact virtual replicas of their soldiers. In case of an injury, these replicas could be used to 3D print exact medical models for rebuilding the injured patient's body and even exact replica implants. Could we all one day soon have virtual backups of ourselves that we can access and have new body parts 3D printed on demand?

2 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. Huh. Priorities? by rogoshen1 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Is this the same military which decided that armor was too expensive for humvee's, and that body armor was too expensive for soldiers?

    (It's a great idea, I just wonder how they'd ever pull it off.. an ounce of Kevlar is apparently NOT cheaper than a pound of 3d printed skeleton.)

    1. Re:Huh. Priorities? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You do know that those things happened during a time when congress was proposing cutting their budget right?

      1. Funding is threatened by congress
      2. Don't give troops what they need, blame expense
      3. Constituents get mad at congress
      4. Budget is not just maintained, but increased

      profit addendum
      3a. Brass invests in military contractors
      4a. Profit goes to mil-industry complex