Non-Contact and Non-Destructive Detection of Structural Defects in Bioprinted Constructs Using Video-Based Vibration Analysis

TL;DR

This paper introduces a non-contact, video-based vibration analysis method to detect hidden structural defects in bioprinted tissue constructs, providing a non-invasive quality assessment tool for regenerative medicine applications.

Contribution

The study presents a novel, non-destructive technique using high-speed video and phase-based motion estimation to identify internal defects in bioprinted structures, validated by experiments and simulations.

Findings

Defective samples show distinct dynamic response deviations

Severity of defects correlates with changes in stiffness and mass distribution

Method effectively detects hidden internal anomalies

Abstract

Bioprinting technology has advanced significantly in the fabrication of tissue-like constructs with complex geometries for regenerative medicine. However, maintaining the structural integrity of bioprinted materials remains a major challenge, primarily due to the frequent and unexpected formation of hidden defects. Traditional defect detection methods often require physical contact that may not be suitable for hydrogel-based biomaterials due to their inherently soft nature, making non-invasive and straightforward structural evaluation necessary in this field. To advance the state of the art, this study presents a novel non-contact method for non-destructively detecting structural defects in bioprinted constructs using video-based vibration analysis. Ear-shaped constructs were fabricated using a bioink composed of sodium alginate and \k{appa}-carrageenan using extrusion-based bioprinting. To simulate printing defects, controlled geometric, interlayer, and pressure-induced defects were systematically introduced into the samples. The dynamic response of each structure was recorded using a high-speed camera and analyzed via phase-based motion estimation techniques. Experimental results demonstrate that all defective samples exhibit consistent changes in the dynamic characteristics compared to baseline samples, with increasingly pronounced deviation observed as defect severity increases, which reflect changes in effective stiffness and mass distribution induced by internal anomalies, even when such defects are not detectable through surface inspection. The experimental trends were also validated through finite element simulations. Overall, this work demonstrates that video-based vibrometry is a powerful approach for assessing the quality of bioprinted constructs, offering a practical pathway toward robust structural health monitoring in next-generation bio-additive manufacturing workflows.