Claudia Castillo suffered from a tuberculosis infection which affected her bronchial tube making it collapse at the point where it entered her lungs. Facing a complete lung removal, Claudia instead went through a pioneering operation to have a new windpipe grown for her using her own bone marrow stem cells. Claudia, a native to Barcelona, has become the first person to be given a whole organ tailor-made just for her.
I bet you’re wondering why Geordi LaForge was always so glum. If you’ve ever gotten a scratch on your cornea, you’d know how painful it can be. Thankfully, researchers at Stanford University have developed a new artificial cornea. I’m not talking about eyeball lamps either, these are real corneas for real eyeballs. Animal studies incorporating the cornea are showing promise, which could lead to the elimination of cornea transplants completely. It’s made up of two interwoven polymer gels, reminiscent of a contact lense. One layer provides durability while the other absorbs water, assisting the eye by keeping it nourished.
Because many people suffer loss of sight due to corneal disease, these new artificial corneas could be someone’s chance to get their vision back. As for Geordi, well, he doesn’t need new eyes. He’s got that kick ass VISOR that picks up electromagnetic signals across the entire EM spectrum.
Larry Ludlow might not be completely bald, but if he ever wanted to sport Moe’s haircut, this robot is his ticket. Restoration Robotics of Mountain View, a California-based company, has created a robot that has the ability to perform hair transplant surgery quicker and less painfully than doctors.
Once it’s plucked enough hair from your head using a hollow needle that just plain sucks, the robot begins to “plant” the follicles in the patient’s head. And to add the cherry on top: the robot has the ability to design the perfect hairline for a patient in which doctors scratch their heads and say, “What the hell would this ‘baldie’ look like with hair?”
