Nature Podcast

In this episode:00:46 Machine vision enables multi-material 3D printing3D printers are capable of producing complex shapes, but making functioning objects from multiple materials in a single print-run has proved challenging. To overcome this, a team has combined inkjet printing with an error-correction system guided by machine vision, to allow them to print sophisticated multi-material objects. They used this method to make a bio-inspired robotic hand that combines soft and rigid plastics to make mechanical bones, ligaments, and tendons, as well as a pump based on a mammalian heart.Research article: Buchner et al.News & Views: Multi-material 3D printing guided by machine visionVideo: The 3D printer that crafts complex robotic organs in a single run07:49 Research HighlightsCitizen-scientists help identify an astronomical object that blurs the line between asteroid and comet, and how a Seinfeld episode helped scientists to distinguish the brain regions involved in understanding and appreciating humour.Resea