Will 3D Printing Provide Prosthetics for Veterans?

Tristan Wyatt lost a leg when an anti-tank missile pierced his armored personnel carrier (APC) in Iraq. Two other members of his U.S. Army unit also lost limbs in the August 2003 attack. Today, Wyatt is the chief of the prosthetics and sensory aids department at the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital in La Jolla, California. Now age 31, the young veteran helps more than 70 military amputees each year.

According to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, over 1700 service members suffered battle-injury amputations while serving in Operation New Dawn, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operating Enduring Freedom. That figure does not include military casualties after December 31, 2012, nor does it include statistics from allied nations such as Canada, where I live.

Myoelectric Prosthetics

As Jeanette Steele of U-T San Diego writes, Tristan Wyatt's first prosthetic leg "was like an early iPhone - good, but rudimentary." The amputee was relieved that VA didn't prescribe a "peg leg", but he recalls the limitations of his original artificial limb - such as taking a step backwards and falling over. Today, the U.S. Army veteran uses what he calls a "fifth-generation" knee with a motor-driven joint.

As both a VA patient and the manager of a $25-million department, Wyatt awaits advances in myoelectric prosthetics, artificial limbs that amputees control with the electrical signals generated by their muscles. Unfortunately, myoelectric prosthetics are now available only for arms and hands, but not for legs and feet. Advances in lightweight medical materials are also needed to reduce joint friction.

3D Printed Hands

Joel Gibbard may not be able to solve these challenges, but the British inventor aims to revolutionize prosthetics in a different way - cost. Gibbard, a former applications engineer for National Instruments, has created a 3D printed hand that uses motors instead of muscles and steel cables instead of tendons. According to the U.K.'s Mail Online, "The Dextrus" cuts prosthetic production costs by 99%.

Gibbard's robotic limb doesn't use myoelectric prosthetics, but its materials of construction include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), a lightweight thermoplastic that's used in products ranging from auto parts to LEGO bricks. ABS may not be extraordinary, but Gibbard's philanthropic business model surely is. The inventor plans to fabricate some artificial hands, but is also giving away his code for free.

Production and Innovation

Will 3D printing provide robotic hands and perhaps even robotic legs for military amputees someday? Is this manufacturing method a better one to use with other patient populations, such as young children? Unlike adult soldiers, children can outgrow their artificial limbs every few years. To help our injured veterans then, could 3D printing provide rapid prototyping for multiple iterations of new prosthetics?

I hope you'll comment on this blog entry and share your own knowledge about the 3D printing, robotics, prosthetics, and how we can better serve our wounded warriors through technology. Whether you're honoring Veterans Day in the United States or Remembrance Day here in Canada, your insights are appreciated.

About the Author: Doug Sharpe is the President of Elasto Proxy, Inc. (Boisbriand, Quebec, Canada), supplier of sealing solutions and custom-fabricated rubber and plastic parts to a variety of industries, including medical devices and equipment.