Syn, printed prosthetic

[GeneChing]

This came up when I searched 'prosthetic'. Mr. Han...more than just the movies.

This Medieval Italian Man Replaced His Amputated Hand With a Weapon
Badass.
MICHELLE STARR 13 APR 2018

Archaeologists have found a fascinating puzzle in the shape of a man's remains dating back to medieval Italy. It looks like this guy went through life with a knife attached to his arm, in place of his amputated hand.

The skeleton in question was found in a Longobard necropolis in the north of Italy, dating back to around the 6th to 8th centuries CE. Hundreds of skeletons were buried there, as well as a headless horse and several greyhounds, but this particular skeleton stood out.

He was an older male, aged between 40 and 50, and his right arm had been amputated around the mid-forearm.

The researchers, led by archaeologist Ileana Micarelli of Sapienza University in Rome, determined that the hand had been removed by blunt force trauma, but exactly how or why is impossible to tell.

"One possibility is that the limb was amputated for medical reasons; perhaps the forelimb was broken due to an accidental fall or some other means, resulting in an unhealable fracture," they wrote in their paper.

"Still, given the warrior-specific culture of the Longobard people, a loss due to fighting is also possible."

On closer examination, the ends of the bone showed evidence of biomechanical pressure - reshaping of both bones to form a callus, and a bone spur on the ulna. These are consistent with the sort of pressure that might have been applied by a prosthesis.


Further evidence on the skeleton supports this hypothesis. The man's teeth showed extreme wear - a huge loss of enamel, and a bone lesion. He'd worn his teeth so far down on the right side of his mouth that he'd likely opened the pulp cavity, causing a bacterial infection.

What's that got to do with a prosthesis? He was probably using his teeth to tighten the straps that held it in place.


Dental wear and the bone lesion. (Micarelli et al.)

His shoulder showed evidence of this too - it had developed a C-shaped ridge of bone from holding the shoulder in an unnaturally extended position to tighten the prosthesis in his mouth. The only way this ridge could have formed is if the movement was frequent.

All the other male burials with knives at the site had their arms and their weapons laid at their sides. But not this guy.

He had his right arm bent at the elbow, the arm laid across his torso. Next to it was a knife blade, the butt aligned with his amputated wrist. Also at the amputation site, archaeologists found a D-shaped buckle, and decomposed organic material - most likely leather.


This suggests a leather cap over the amputated limb, a buckle used for fastening - and a knife attached to the cap, although the purpose is unclear. However, given the advanced healing of the bone, it is clear the man lived for a long time after his hand had been amputated.

"This Longobard male shows a remarkable survival after a forelimb amputation during pre-antibiotic era. Not only did he adjust very well to his condition, he did so with the use of a culturally-derived device, along with considerable community support," the team wrote in their paper.

"The survival of this Longobard male testifies to community care, family compassion and a high value given to human life."

The team's paper has been published in the Journal of Anthropological Sciences, where it can be read in full.

[GeneChing]

Our 3D printing discussion has been delegated to our hijacked Syn, printed prosthetic thread. However this is a topic worthy of its own thread now.

DOJ Settles 3D Printed Gun Case, Ghost-Gun Genie Is Out Of The Bottle
Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on July 11, 2018 by John Crump


Ghost Gunner Gun Making CNC Machine : DOJ Settles 3D Printed Gun Case, Ghost-Gun Genie Is Out Of The Bottle

U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Cody Wilson had a goal. That goal is to make all gun control irrelevant. Starting on July 27th, 2018, his goal will come to fruition.

The Department of Justice has settled in a landmark case that will allow Defense Distributed to distribute the source files online for 3D printed guns up to .50 caliber. With 3D firearms printing becoming cheaper and better every day this changes the landscape of the 2A battle. The “ghost-gun” genie is indeed out of the bottle as 3D source files will now be free game for all to download.


Defense Distributed Liberator Pistol

In 2013 Wilson and Defense Distributed released the Liberator which was the world's first 3D printed gun. Wilson named the Liberator after the famous single shot World War II pistol that the Allies dropped over Nazi-occupied France. Only a couple weeks after releasing the plans the government demanded that he pull them down from his site claiming the plans violated export regulations as defined in the International Trade in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

The government asserted that Wilson was exporting guns without a license. The government viewed the files that Wilson uploaded to the internet the same way as if he would have exported physical firearms to other countries. Wilson disagreed with this assertion and decided to sue the government on First Amendment grounds for the right to distribute the 3D printed files online for anyone to download.

The first set of lawyers that Wilson hired told him that the case was hopeless, and he would not be able to win. Wilson was unwilling to accept that verdict, so he fired his attorneys and hired new ones working with The Second Amendment Foundation who believed that he could win. It was a David vs. Goliath situation. The suit took five years and nearly a million dollars, but Wilson was vindicated.

The nonprofit Defense Distributed also makes the Ghost Gunner 2 CNC Machine which AmmoLand has reviewed in the past. The Ghost Gunner 2 is a mini CNC machine that lets the user mill out 80% lower receivers for the popular AR-15 and 80% 1911 pistols with just a click of a mouse. The Ghost Gunner 2 enables anyone to make a non-serialized gun in their basement. Defense Distributed started making the Ghost Gunner 2 for the purpose of funding the lawsuit against the DOJ. Defense Distributed has sold around 6,000 of the CNC machines nationwide.


Ghost Gunner Miniature CNC Machine

In the settlement, the government also admits that semi-automatic rifles including the AR-15 are not inherently military weapons.
This admission is a blow to the false narrative pushed by some members of Congress and anti-gun groups that the AR-15 and other modern sporting rifles are “weapons of war.”

That acknowledgment could have massive ramifications throughout the country in states that banned modern sporting rifles through so-called “assault weapons bans.” Those bans are now on shaky legal ground thanks to the government admission about semi-automatic rifles in the settlement.

Cody Wilson, a self-proclaimed crypto-anarchist, told Wired he had planned to release the files no matter how the lawsuit went, if Hillary Clinton had have been elected president and decided to crack down on our Second Amendment rights as listed in the Constitution.

Wilson encourages people to download the files and make improvements. He sees the data as a starting point to something better. The 30-year-old took on the government and won a significant battle not only for our Second Amendment rights but also for our First Amendment rights.

Defense Distributed will distribute the files on the website, defcad.org. Wilson describes defcad.org as a GitHub (a software development site) for guns. Currently, the site lets users sign up for a mailing list to get notifications on site news.

AmmoLand has reached out to Wilson, whom we have interviewed for the site, but as of the time of this writing, Wilson has not returned our request for comment.

About John Crump

John is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot-News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%'ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.

More on the Liberator

[GeneChing]

Shanghai opens world's longest 3D-printed concrete bridge
Published 23rd January 2019


-A team led by Xu Weiguo at Tsinghua University's School of Architecture completed the world's longest 3D-printed concrete bridge in Shanghai.Courtesy JCDA

Written by Emily Dixon, CNN

It's 86 feet long and was created entirely with a 3D printer. Shanghai is now home to the world's longest 3D-printed concrete bridge, produced by a team from the Tsinghua University School of Architecture in Beijing.
The pedestrian crossing was modeled on the famed Zhaozhou Bridge, which was built between 589 and 618 in Hebei province, northern China, and is the country's oldest standing bridge. That crossing was made from limestone slabs, while the new structure, found in Shanghai's Baoshan district, was created using far more modern construction techniques.


Shanghai is now home to the world's longest 3D printed concrete bridge. Credit: Courtesy JCDA

The record-breaking bridge may not be as beautiful as its ancient predecessor, but what it lacks in aesthetics it makes up for in technology -- it was produced in just 450 hours and cost just a fraction of the usual price.
Designed by professor Xu Weiguo, the bridge's body consists of 44 3D-printed concrete units, each measuring about 3x3x5 feet, while the flowing sides are made from 68 separate concrete slabs.
The bridge was printed piece by piece, using two robotic arms and technology developed by Xu. Tsinghua University claims the project cost a third less than a standard bridge of equivalent size.
Before construction started, a smaller model was created to test the design's integrity and prove its ability to support pedestrians. The bridge also contains systems that monitor internal stress and strain, helping its designers to track the structure's condition in real time.
How artificial intelligence and robots can change your living spaces
The world's first 3D-printed concrete bridge opened in the Netherlands in October 2017, measuring a comparatively small 26 feet. Created by Eindhoven University of Technology in the town of Gemert, the structure was designed to carry cyclists and comprises about 800 layers of concrete.

THREADS:
Chinese Bridges
Syn, printed prosthetic

[GeneChing]

3D-printed vegan salmon hits the European market
Catherine Boudreau


Top image: Revo Foods' 3D printed vegan salmon. Bottom image: A Wild Pacific king salmon fillet. Thomas Barwick/Getty

Revo Foods is the first company to sell 3D-printed vegan salmon fillets, now available in Europe.
Some $400 million has poured into startups making seafood from plants and fish cells.
Entrepreneurs said alternative seafood could reduce overfishing and microplastic pollution.

The market for 3D-printed products includes homes, furniture, and footwear. Now we can add salmon to the list, at least in Europe.

The foodtech startup Revo Foods in September became the first company to sell 3D-printed vegan salmon filets in select grocery stores in Vienna, Austria, and opened an online shop that ships the product to most European countries this month.

"It flakes very nicely into layers just like salmon," Robin Simsa, the CEO of Revo Foods, told Insider. "It also has a similar taste, but like any meat alternative, it's not 100% the same."

This marks a milestone for the nascent alternative-seafood industry, which is testing an array of ingredients and technologies to make products that don't harm ocean ecosystems. Some startups are developing plant-based options, while others are growing fish cells in a lab. For its part, Revo Foods' 3D printer layers "mycoprotein" made from mushroom roots with plant-based fats to mimic the texture of real salmon.

Investors have poured upward of $400 million into the alternative-seafood startups in recent years — including $7 million in Revo Foods. But no company is making massive amounts of it yet. And the biggest question remains largely untested: Will people buy it?

Over the past several weeks, Simsa said Revo Foods' vegan salmon has sold out within hours of hitting store shelves. But many of the comments below a YouTube promotional video were critical of the premium price and the idea of printing food.

Revo Foods sells 130 grams, or about 4 ½ ounces, of its vegan salmon for 7 euros, or about $7.

"​​Why would I eat fake salmon that's more expensive than real salmon?" one commenter asked. Another said they'd rather be in a nuclear apocalypse than eat the vegan filets. The reactions were more positive on Instagram, however.

Simsa said the price will drop as Revo Foods automates more steps in the process outside of 3D printing and produces larger volumes. He acknowledged that people are skeptical of the technology but said it isn't unlike other industrial machinery that already makes chocolate and snacks. Barilla is already selling 3D-printed pasta.

There's also the sustainability angle.

Salmon is considered one of the healthiest things to eat and fish in general have a much lower carbon footprint than beef, a well-known contributor to the climate crisis because of methane emissions from cattle and the vast amount of land required to raise them.

Still, around one-third of global fish stocks are overexploited, according to the United Nations. And fishing nets are a major source of ocean microplastics, which scientists say are increasingly being found in humans.

"Ultimately, people want to be excited about a product. We have to capture their imaginations," Christopher Bryson, the CEO of New School Foods, told Insider. His startup is developing its own plant-based whole salmon filet using a novel freezing technology and has raised $12 million.

"If people made decisions based on health and the planet, we'd all already only be eating tofu," Bryson said.

Vegetarian
Syn-printed-prosthetic