Work on this technology was initiated at the University of Florida in 1993. Initial studies involved the manufacture of synthetic trachea models to replace live animals to test airway devices and the development of inter-penetrating polymer-fiber networks to mimic lumenal structures such as vessels. The materials developed as a result of these studies are now used extensively in the industry as simple vein and artery analogs.
SynDaver was founded in 2004 to commercialize a novel system of synthetic human body parts for the medical device industry. Today, our sophisticated models replicate human and animal anatomy in great detail, including individual muscles, tendons, veins, arteries, nerves and organs―all made from complex composites that mimic the properties of the discrete living tissues they represent. Made from water, salts and fibers, our tissues have been validated to replicate the mechanical, chemical, thermal and dielectric properties of the relevant living tissue. In fact, SynDaver maintains the world’s largest database of LIVE tissue properties, and our products are used in such diverse fields as surgical training, medical device testing, consumer products evaluation and ballistics testing.