Researchers create first ever artificial 3D printed HUMAN TONGUE

Researchers have created the first-ever artificial human tongue in the latest 3D printing breakthrough.

A multidisciplinary team of scientists from Leeds University has 3D-printed a replica of the human tongue, complete with synthetic soft surfaces and tongue-like textures, which could well lead to a domino effect of breakthroughs in a variety of research fields.

Scientists led by the University of Leeds, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, have meticulously replicated the surface of the human tongue which plays a critical role in how we taste food, how we speak, swallow and absorb nutrients, among other functions.

The biomimetic tongue accurately mimics the topology, elasticity and “wettability” – how a liquid keeps contact and spreads across a surface of the human tongue, the scientists claim.