“LifeNabled is a charity established in 2006 to provide free clinics and prosthetics to those in need in remote areas of the northern Petén region of Guatemala.
It’s a region where poverty is widespread. Many people there survive and feed their families on just $3 dollars a day. Surrounded by dense jungle, the inaccessible nature of many villages means there’s zero access to basic medical care, let alone prosthetic services…”
“There are roughly 57.7 million people worldwide living with limb amputation due to traumatic causes. Over 60% of them have suffered lower limb amputation, including below and above the knee. However, in developing nations, very few have access to quality prostheses. Even if they do, an amputee will often need a new device in as little as one year due to changes in the residual limb volume…”
“LifeNabled volunteers and designers created a fully digital workflow to produce custom 3D printed prosthetic sockets with flexible inner liners. Now, 35 patients in the jungle of Guatemala are walking on the most advanced prosthetic and orthotic devices in the world…”
“Five percent of above-the-knee amputees worldwide have access to prosthetics. Traditional prosthetics need to be custom molded for each individual, a process that takes hours and can require thousands of dollars. Learning about LifeNabled’s work inspired Sullivan, Fleming and Prescott to create a new type of prosthetic, one that can be easily adjusted for an above-the-knee amputee…”
“Amidst the hubble and bubble of optimism, money and growth, there are also people doing good things with 3D printing. Open source prosthetics are one of the most exciting areas of 3D printing. Here is an area where widely available desktop printers and industrial systems can be used to make patient-specific prostheses, braces, and medical assistive devices. These can also be made on location and very cost-effectively…”
“Over the past 18-24 months, professional 3D scanning and printing technologies have evolved to such a point that even across industries widely known for their adherence to the strictest levels of accuracy, they can no longer be ignored…”
“In Guatemala, a hospital is using a 3D scanner to create templates for a prosthetic. The affordable process makes access to 3D-printed limbs possible even when the hospital itself can’t afford it…”
“I caught up with W. Brent Wright of LifeNabled to learn more about one team’s mission to broaden access to prosthetics and orthotics via 3D printing…The organization is working toward “a world where all amputees have access to affordable prosthetic care,” and the driven team are doing all they can to fulfill this vision…”
“Our hope is to bring a product to market and really make an impact,” says Prescott, who worked alongside Aaron Fleming and Lindsay Sullivan, both doctoral students in biomedical engineering at NC State. “We want to bring mobility and independence back to those who have lost that.” The team is being supported by LifeNabled…”
Another field where 3D printing excels in is the replacement of parts. With the right materials 3D printing is a great tool to extend the life of many everyday items. Crucial to this are various factors like modeling skills (if the file of the part is not readily available) and the right material. A functional filament like our PA-CF Low Warp is a perfect match when it comes that latter part…
Brent Wright, CP/BOC/O, believes the future of prosthetics lies in additive manufacturing. After 20 years in the Orthotics and Prosthetics field, Wright has witnessed how this technology is changing mindsets in the U.S. That said, he feels it has much wider implications: making prosthetics affordable and attainable, globally…
One of the most inspiring and positive uses we have seen for 3D technology is the development of prosthetics. The easy customisation that the 3D printing process offers allows these life-changing objects to be personalised for the body of an individual wearer, and the low cost means that such advanced prosthetics can be made available to those most in need…
Meredith and Brent Wright, a married couple from North Carolina have launched LifeNabled to help amputees in the developing world. Making personalized prosthesis is supported by the use of 3D scanning mobile app DigiScan 3D, CNC milling and 3D printing…
