In the future, once our hairlines start receding we might be able to just head over to our 3D printer and print some more hair. Or at least something that looks like hair.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon, led by Chris Harrison, were able to find a way to use a 3D printer to print realistic-looking hair and other fibers.

The method is very similar to what happens when someone is using a glue gun and they pull back from what they're gluing, creating strands of glue. Printer nozzles first deposit a small amount of melted polylactide, or PLA, which is a common plastic used in 3D printers. Then, the nozzle and print bed are quickly drawn apart from each other, causing the plastic to stretch into fibers. That process is repeated over and over again until enough of the material is created.

In fact, the process is a very technical one, with things like how quickly the nozzle is being pulled away and how much PLA is dispensed affecting how thick or thin the hair will end up being.

One of the great things about this technique is that almost any commercial 3D printer available today can already do it with a bit of extra programming. We could be printing new hair sooner than we thought.

The process does, however, take some time, with it taking between 20 to 25 minutes to deposit hair on an area that measures 10mm squared.

The system could also be used for more than just a hair replacement. The system can work very precisely to make things like bristles for a toothbrush, while being a little less precise would make it look more natural for hair. The method could even be used to print things like wires for electronic devices.

You can take a look at how the 3D hair printing method works in the video below.

Via: Gizmag