MIT Says New 3D Printing Technique Could Revolutionize Medical Procedures

MIT engineers are using 3D printing and magnets to revolutionize how medical procedures are performed.

Researchers have infused printed, flexible structures with tiny magnetic particles. That allows the structures to be manipulated by using magnets.

MIT professor Xuanhe Zhao says the goal is to create devices that are pliable and controllable enough that they could carry out tasks from within the body.

"Since the human body is soft, it's beneficial to develop a device that has a similar rigidity as soft tissues in human body," he said.

Zhao says the work could lead to structures that would help blood vessels pump blood from within the body.