With the progress of science and technology and the increase of clinical demand, medical robots have developed rapidly and played a important role in promoting the medical cause. Service robot is a branch of medical robot, which is mainly oriented to medical service and assistance needs, and has been applied in many medical scenarios and achieved demonstration effects. This research first describes the development of medical service robots, and then summarizes the key technologies and clinical applications of robots. Finally, it points out the challenges and directions that medical service robots face at present, and puts forward prospects for their further development in the medical field.
Robotics ; Technology

OBJECTIVE: To establish a reference dental model used for trueness evaluation of photo-curing 3D printing technologies, and to establish a multidimensional trueness evaluation method based on the reference dental model, which can yield a comprehensive objective evaluating result. METHODS: A reference dental model was designed in 3ds Max 2018 software based on the statistical analysis results of dental crown and dental arch of Chinese population in previous studies in order to simulate a real dental model. This model was made up of several simple geometrical configurations, which could minimize the manual measurement error. Physical models were fabricated using three types of photo-curing three-dimensional printers using different techniques: Objet30 Pro (PJ), Projet 3510 HD Plus (MJP), and Perfactory DDP (DLP). The models were scanned by a laser-scanning device and the files were exported in a stereolithography file format. In Geomagic Studio 2012, 3D shape deviations (including overall 3D deviation, flatness error, parallelism error and perpendicularity error) were measured by several commands using the data obtained from the scanning. With regard to the feature size of the simulated dental crown and dental arch, linear measurements (including mesiodistal diameter, buccolingual diameter, crown height of each simulated dental crown and feature size of dental arch) were recorded for selected landmarks using a digital caliper. The measurement results of feature sizes were used to analyze the occlusal plane percentage error and the occlusogingival direction percentage error. RESULTS: For the 3D shape deviation, the results showed that the printed model made by the Objet30 Pro had the lowest overall 3D deviation, the model made by Projet 3510 HD Plus had the best perpendicularity accuracy and the model made by Perfactory DDP had the best flatness accuracy. In terms of the accuracy of the feature size, the model made by the Objet30 Pro was the most accurate in consideration of the results of the occlusal plane percentage error and the occlusogingival direction percentage error. CONCLUSION The reference dental model and the trueness evaluation method using this model is universally applicable in evaluating the trueness of photo-curing three-dimensional printed dental model and can provide a comprehensive objective evaluating result, which can serve as a reference for the clinical use of photo-curing 3D printing technology.
Computer-Aided Design ; Crowns ; Dental Arch ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Models, Dental ; Printing, Three-Dimensional

OBJECTIVE: To establish a method for the production of digital individual tooth tray based on three-dimensional (3D) scan, computer-aided design (CAD) and 3D printing, and to evaluate the effect of impression taking of full-arch crown abutments by digital individual tooth tray technique and conventional method through in vitro study. METHODS: The full crown preparation was performed on all the fourteen resin teeth in a standard model of mandibular dentition. The surface data of prepared abutments was collected by 3D scanning. A new project was created in a dental CAD software including all the fourteen teeth in the mandibular dentition. The design modules of anatomy crown and coping were selected for each tooth. The dentition was divided for three sections: right posterior teeth, anterior teeth, and left posterior teeth areas. The connector design was added between the abutments within the same section. The scanned data of the abutments were imported. The occlusal plane and insertion path were determined. The position of margin line, as well as the shape of anatomy crown and connector as the main body of the individual tooth tray were designed for each abutment. The shape of coping was generated as the space for holding the impression material. The finalized data of the main body was imported into Geomagic software. The retentive attachment was added at the external surface and the tissue stop was formed at the internal surface. The completed individual tooth tray was manufactured by 3D printing with resin material. The data of full-arch crown abutments were modified and printed. The conventional dentition trays A and B, as well as digital individual tooth tray were designed and printed for four copies each. The polyether impressions of the full-arch abutments were made by conventional one-step method using dentition tray A, and by sectional-impression technique using digital individual tooth tray and dentition tray B for four times each. The time spent for each impression taking and the numbers of defects at the shoulder and axial/occlusal surface in each impression were recorded. The impression quality of each abutment was evaluated. The overall quality distribution and the pass rate of abutments between the two methods were analyzed. RESULTS: The impressions made by conventional method had more defects at shoulder than those made by digital individual tooth tray technique. No difference of the number of defects at axial/occlusal surface between the two methods was observed. The digital individual tooth tray technique for the full-arch abutment impression exhibited higher pass rate of abutments and better quality of impression, compared with conventional methods. CONCLUSION A new method for the production of digital individual tooth tray based on digital scanning, CAD and 3D printing was established. Compared with conventional method, using digital individual tooth tray technique for impression taking of full-arch abutments can achieve better effect.
Computer-Aided Design ; Crowns ; Dental Impression Materials ; Dental Impression Technique ; Models, Dental ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Software

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of preparing compound tablets for the treatment of hypertension by fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology and to evaluate the quality of the printed compound tablets in vitro. METHODS: Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) filaments were used as the exci-pient to prepare the shell of tablet. The ellipse-shaped tablets (the length of major axes of ellipse was 20 mm, the length of the minor axes of ellipse was 10 mm, the height of tablet was 5 mm) with two separate compartments were designed and printed using FDM 3D printer. The height of layer was 0.2 mm, and the thickness of roof or floor was 0.6 mm. The thickness of shell was 1.2 mm, and the thickness of the partition wall between the two compartments was 0.6 mm. Two cardiovascular drugs, captopril (CTP) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT), were selected as model drugs for the printed compound tablet and filled in the two compartments of the tablet, respectively. The microscopic morphology of the tablets was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The weight variation of the tablets was investigated by electronic scale. The hardness of the tablets was measured by a single-column mechanical test system. The contents of the drugs in the tablets were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the dissolution apparatus was used to measure the in vitro drug release of the tablets. RESULTS: The prepared FDM 3D printed compound tablets were all in good shape without printing defects. The average weight of the tablets was (644.3±6.55) mg. The content of CTP and HCT was separately (52.3±0.26) mg and (49.6±0.74) mg. A delayed in vitro release profile was observed for CTP and HCT, and the delayed release time for CTP and HCT in vitro was 20 min and 40 min, respectively. The time for 70% of CTP and HCT released was separately 30 min and 60 min. CONCLUSION CTP and HCT compound tablets were successfully prepared by FDM 3D printing technology, and the printed tablets were of good qualities.
Captopril ; Cytidine Triphosphate ; Drug Liberation ; Hydrochlorothiazide ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Tablets/chemistry* ; Technology, Pharmaceutical/methods*

Humans ; Living Donors ; Tissue and Organ Harvesting ; Nephrectomy ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Technology ; Laparoscopy

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of preparing different doses of tablets for personalized treatment by fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology, and to evaluate the in vitro quality of the FDM 3D printed tablets. METHODS: Three different sizes of hollow tablets were prepared by fused deposition modeling 3D printing technology with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) filaments. Theophylline was chosen as the model drug. In the study, 20 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg of theophylline was filled into the cavity of the tablets, respectively. The microscopic morphology of the tablets was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The weight variation of the tablets was investigated by weighing method. The hardness of the tablets was measured by tablet hardness tester. The contents of the drugs in the tablets were determined by ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), and the dissolution apparatus was used to assay the in vitro drug release of the tablets. RESULTS: The prepared FDM 3D printed tablets were all in good shape without printing defects. And there was no leakage phenomenon. The diameter and thickness of the tablets were consistent with the design. The layers were tightly connected, and the fine structure of the formulation could be clearly observed without printing defects by scanning electron microscopy. The average weight of the three sizes of tablets was (150.5±2.3) mg, (293.6±2.6) mg and (456.2±5.6) mg, respectively. The weight variation of the three sizes of tablets were boss less than 5%, which met the requirements; The hardness of the tablets all exceeded 200 N; The contents of theophylline in the three tablets were 98.0%, 97.2% and 97.9% of the dosage (20 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg), and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 1.06%, 1.15% and 0.63% respectively; The time for 80% drug released from the three dosage of tablets was within 30 min. CONCLUSION Three different dosages of theophylline tablets were successfully prepared by FDM 3D printing technology in this study. The exploration may bring beneficial for the preparation of personalized dose preparations. We expect that with the development of 3D printing technology, FDM 3D printed personalized tablets can be used in the clinic as soon as possible to provide personalized treatment for patients.
Humans ; Theophylline/chemistry* ; Tablets/chemistry* ; Drug Liberation ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Polyvinyl Alcohol/chemistry* ; Technology, Pharmaceutical/methods*

The scar brings a huge economic burden and creates a serious psychological shadow for patients. Although the current methods for scar treatment tend to be diversified, the treatment method that can truly achieve the goal of "perfect healing" or "scarless healing" after human skin injury is quite scarce. With the wide application of tissue engineering technologies in medicine research, technologies such as three-dimensional bioprinting, organoid culture, and organ chip technologies are constantly emerging. Disease models in vitro based on these innovative technologies showed more advantages than traditional animal disease models. The article introduces the current hotspot technologies in skin tissue engineering such as organoid culture, three-dimensional bioprinting, and organ chip technologies, focuses on summarizing the three key elements to be mastered for constructing an ideal scar model in vitro, and puts forward the future prospect of constructing an ideal scar model in vitro based on our research team's long-term experience in skin tissue repair and regeneration research.
Animals ; Humans ; Tissue Engineering ; Cicatrix ; Bioprinting/methods* ; Wound Healing ; Technology ; Printing, Three-Dimensional

PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of a model made using the computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture (CAD/CAM) milling method and 3D printing method and to confirm its applicability as a work model for dental prosthesis production. MATERIALS AND METHODS: First, a natural tooth model (ANA-4, Frasaco, Germany) was scanned using an oral scanner. The obtained scan data were then used as a CAD reference model (CRM), to produce a total of 10 models each, either using the milling method or the 3D printing method. The 20 models were then scanned using a desktop scanner and the CAD test model was formed. The accuracy of the two groups was compared using dedicated software to calculate the root mean square (RMS) value after superimposing CRM and CAD test model (CTM). RESULTS: The RMS value (152±52 µm) of the model manufactured by the milling method was significantly higher than the RMS value (52±9 µm) of the model produced by the 3D printing method. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of the 3D printing method is superior to that of the milling method, but at present, both methods are limited in their application as a work model for prosthesis manufacture.
Dental Models ; Dental Prosthesis ; Methods ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Prostheses and Implants ; Tooth

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of surgical stent according to the supported type. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 5 sets of dental models which have tooth supported edentulous area and tooth-tissue supported edentulous area were made. Dental model were scanned with model scanner, and CBCT was taken. CT data and model scan data were overlapped using In2Guide software, implant were virtually planned in the software. Surgical stents are fabricated by 3D printing. The implant fixture were installed using the surgical stent, CBCT were retaken. CBCT before surgery and after surgery were overlapped, and the differences (angle difference, coronal difference, apical difference) were evaluated using statistical analysis. RESULTS: In the assessment of the accuracy of surgical guides according to arch type, there are no statistically significant differences between maxilla and mandible. In the case of support type, tooth supported stents showed lower angle difference and length difference than tooth-tissue supported stents, which are statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Arch type does not affect the accuracy of surgical stents. But tooth support stents are more accurate than tooth-tissue support stents in the case of angle and length difference.
Dental Implants ; Dental Models ; Mandible ; Maxilla ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Prostheses and Implants ; Stents ; Tooth

BACKGROUND: Latest tissue engineering strategies for musculoskeletal tissues regeneration focus on creating a biomimetic microenvironment closely resembling the natural topology of extracellular matrix. This paper presents a novel musculoskeletal tissue scaffold fabricated by hybrid additive manufacturing method. METHODS: The skeleton of the scaffold was 3D printed by fused deposition modeling, and a layer of random or aligned polycaprolactone nanofibers were embedded between two frames. A parametric study was performed to investigate the effects of process parameters on nanofiber morphology. A compression test was performed to study the mechanical properties of the scaffold. Human fibroblast cells were cultured in the scaffold for 7 days to evaluate the effect of scaffold microstructure on cell growth. RESULTS: The tip-to-collector distance showed a positive correlation with the fiber alignment, and the electrospinning time showed a negative correlation with the fiber density. With reinforced nanofibers, the hybrid scaffold demonstrated superior compression strength compared to conventional 3D-printed scaffold. The hybrid scaffold with aligned nanofibers led to higher cell attachment and proliferation rates, and a directional cell organization. In addition, there was a nonlinear relationship between the fiber diameter/density and the cell actinfilament density. CONCLUSION: This hybrid biofabrication process can be established as a highly efficient and scalable platform to fabricate biomimetic scaffolds with patterned fibrous microstructure, and will facilitate future development of clinical solutions for musculoskeletal tissue regeneration.
Biomimetics ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Methods ; Microtechnology ; Nanofibers ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Regeneration ; Skeleton ; Tissue Engineering ; Tissue Scaffolds