Has anyone been or going to possibly try to print sockets for amputees, prosthetics?

3D Printing
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1

Has anyone been or going to possibly try to print sockets for amputees, prosthetics? This would with a digital scan Insure a better fit I would think. Any information would be greatly appreciated

2

Do you have a file to test with.
I would like to print this with:

  • rubber(like) material where it touches skin
  • holes in the rubber for air
  • Hard material to screw on prosthetic
    I would love a woodfill pirate leg but that is just my craziness talking.
    But still I would love to test this
3

Sounds like a great crowd sourcing opportunity! Cool.

4

Check out @Robo_Hand also it is really important that these things be fitted properly, if not, it could cause severe lasting pain to the user, simply scanning the limb would provide a “good” mechanical fit, but this may not be pain free.

5

There is an interesting project in Sudan and one in Uganda:

http://3dprinting.com/news/low-cost-3d-printed-prosthetics-can-help-thousands-sudan-war-victims/

Here the main advantage of 3D printing is not the customisation but rather the speed and lower cost of using 3D printers to create prosthetics.

6

The G+ e-nable community has a whole bunch of people involved in this kind of thing. They are using 3d scanning and empirical measurements to fit the robohands as I recall.

7

Thanks for all the replies! Now to find someone in US close by. I will try and get you a file to try @Jos_Scheepers .

8

Seriously, please work with people who know prosthetics. @Robo_Hand has been doing that and is a very nice project. If you don’t know how to properly fit a prosthetic, understand the biocompatibility of the material(there are biocompatible materials that should not be used), and mechanical fitting procedures you could cause serious damage to the person’s limb… I respect the desire to help, but please do work with people that have background knowledge in the subject.

9

@S_A11 https://plus.google.com/116889746506579771100/posts/3HqiP8jDBEC

10

Power of Google or the universe at work. This popped up in my pinterest feed about prosthetics : http://www.pinterest.com/pin/223561568976138609/

11

@Doc_Surreal that’s incredible, thanks for sharing that! socket looks low must hold great.