3D mddel of a leg in a turntable animation

Better Prosthetics

This project stemmed from my experiments with digital reconstruction of physical objects. While trying to use a smartphone for 3D data capture, I realized the technology's implementation needed to be relooked. I picked prosthetic development as a starting point

This is currently being developed in collaboration with Mobility India. We're optimizing the switch to a digital pipeline for manufacturing prosthetics.

This project is currently under development. I cannot reveal more details owing to proprietary information. If you're interested in knowing more, please get in touch

Duration: ongoing since Dec '21 | Tech + Industrial Design | Collaborators: Mobility India

The Project

Building prosthetics the traditional way requires a lengthy process of multiple plaster casts and rounds of fittings. For a single prosthetic, at least two plaster casts and an amount of polypropylene are discarded. A digital manufacturing process in comparison-

Provides scalability of expertise to more locations
Is more accurate, prosthetics can be made in a single round of fitting
Produces less waste

Mobility India is currently setting up their digital pipeline for prosthetics.

The Problem

The surface of the site of attachment of the prosthetic needs to be digitally recreated to build a suitable socket. The current system of scanning, although accurate, is not scalable. Running multiple instances of the scanning hardware at once is not feasible. We're trying to scale this initial data gathering in the field.

My Role

My role lies in developing the initial data gathering from the stump. Once the technique is refined, my role will be to ensure that it is usable in the field, develop SOPs for its use, and develop a training program for field technicians. The future scope lies in developing digital prosthetics as a service.

A capture from one of the field visits.