AI-Guided 3D Printing Revolutionizes Surgical Preparation

Researchers
at
Washington
State
University
(WSU)
have
introduced
a
groundbreaking
AI-driven
3D
printing
technique
aimed
at
assisting
surgeons
in
creating
detailed
replicas
of
human
organs
for
pre-surgical
practice.
This
innovation
promises
to
enhance
surgical
outcomes
by
providing
doctors
with
more
precise
tools
for
preparation,
according
to
the

NVIDIA
Technical
Blog.

AI
Algorithm
Enhances
3D
Printing

The
AI
algorithm,
which
was
trained
on
images
and
attributes
of
human
kidneys
and
prostates,
including
weight,
size,
porosity,
and
vascular
architecture,
collaborates
with
3D
printers
to
optimize
the
printing
process.
It
helps
determine
the
best
settings
for
accuracy,
weight,
and
print
speed,
significantly
improving
the
efficiency
and
precision
of
3D
printed
models.

Kaiyan
Qiu,
an
assistant
professor
of
mechanical
and
materials
engineering
at
WSU
and
co-author
of
the
study,
highlighted
the
time-saving
potential
of
this





technology.
“For
pre-surgical
organ
models,
we
know
surgeons
will
need
high
fidelity
models
that
can
be
printed
out
quickly
and
with
low
labor
intensity,”
Prof.
Qiu
explained.
“We
imagine
a
scenario
where
a
surgeon
receives
an
MRI
and
CT
scan
[of
a
patient]
in
the
morning.
She
has
two
hours
to
prepare
everything
for
surgery.
The
AI
can
optimize
the
parameters,
and
print
out
a
model
organ
in
half-an-hour,
and
the
surgeon
can
then
spend
the
remaining
time
practicing
[on
the
organ
replica].”

Optimization
with
Bayesian
Methods

The
research
team,
including
WSU
computer
science
professor
Jana
Doppa,
employed
a
multi-objective
Bayesian
Optimization
(BO)
approach
using
BoTorch
to
enhance
the
3D
printing
process.
The
BO
algorithm
utilizes
a
probabilistic
surrogate
model
to
approximate
the
relationship
between
printing
parameters
and
the
quality
of
the
printed
organ
models,
capturing
uncertainties
and
enabling
more
robust
optimization.

The
AI
model
training
was
conducted
using
NVIDIA
A40
GPUs,
and
NVIDIA
NGP
Instant
NeRF
was
utilized
to
reconstruct
a
mesh
object
of
the
3D
printed
model.
This
advanced
AI
process
is
not
limited
to
medical
applications;
it
can
also
be
used
to
create
prototypes
for
implantable
medical
devices,
airplane
and
robot
parts,
batteries,
and
even
customized
shoes.

For
more
information
on
this
research,
visit
the

NVIDIA
Technical
Blog.

Image
source:
Shutterstock