A 3D Printed Prototype Cast Uses Ultrasound to Shorten the Healing Process
The power of 3D printing seems to be never-ending. A prototype brings together 3D printing, room to breathe and ultrasound pulses to create a cast that is not only comfortable and stylish to wear but is expected to speed healing relative to existing options.
The cast, which could be mistaken for a fashion statement, is patterned like latticework to reduce the itchiness, bulk, and smell that usually plague wearers of traditional plaster casts.
Designed by Turkish industrial designer Deniz Karasahin, the prototype uses the idea of Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS) to speed bone regrowth. Karasahin was inspired by another designer and his cast, the Cortex Exoskeletal Cast. In both prototypes, an x-ray and 3D scanner are needed to map the area that needs designed and printed. The holes are made smaller around the injury, to provide more support, while still allowing LIPUS probes to be threaded through.
The prototype is certainly more attractive than the mummy-like plaster designs. And, if it ever makes it to market, we can only imagine the number of colors the user would be able to choose from. To read more on the Osteoid Medical Cast click here.
Top
