Scientists from Australia have developed a jelly-like material that acts like living tissue. The jelly, which is known as hydrogel, is strong, malleable, and able to heal itself. That could be extremely important for healing people with damaged skin, ligaments, or bones. Hydrogels are 3D polymer structures that are strongly hydrophilic, allowing them to contain over 90 percent water. To date, they’ve been used as scaffolding for bioengineering, self-irrigating wound dressings, contact lenses, diapers, soil moisturizing, and prosthetic limbs. But one feature of hydrogels that is of particular interest to scientists is how they can mimic living tissue – not just in terms of static properties, but also, when stimulated, change volume. According to the researchers, the jelly could be used as a 3D-printable ink and could be scaled up to produce more advanced medical implants. The researchers also say they could find application in the next generation of soft robots, which, as the name implies, are softer robots that could improve flexibility and adaptability for accomplishing tasks as well as improving safety when working around humans.
This jelly-like material can heal itself just like human skin
More of Today's Solutions
Vision board ideas for adults: how to create one that inspires real change
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM A vision board might look like a crafty throwback to childhood afternoons spent collaging. But don’t write it ...
Read MoreIndia’s social experiment: how paying women directly reshapes welfare, autono...
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Across India, millions of women now receive a modest but unwavering deposit each month into their bank accounts. ...
Read MoreNew Zealand’s groundbreaking shift to renewables promises massive emiss...
New Zealand launched its most ambitious emissions reduction initiative to date in an incredible undertaking. The government announced a historic switch from coal to ...
Read MoreGoing for the goal: the impact of team sports on boosting young girls’ ...
In a pioneering study, the Here for Every Goal report demonstrates that team sports, particularly elite women's soccer (referenced from here on in this ...
Read More
