Researchers from the University of Toronto have created the world’s first prosthetic leg socket using a 3D printer for a young woman in Uganda. This innovation could revolutionize the future of healthcare and disability rights in developing countries.
For those who are disabled in Africa, access to prosthetics can be expensive. On average disabled children grow two centimeters or about one inch every year and the cost for parents to get a new prosthetics every few months is impossible. There are also not enough prosthetists who can take on the time-consuming work of creating a limb out of plaster. There are only 12 prosthetists in Uganda and sometimes it can take up to three years to train to become one.
Right now it takes about six days to create a prosthetic. With 3D printing, prosthetic creation is cut down to just six hours. The time saved is both affordable and accessible to more people.
Here is a video about the project:
Comments are closed.