3D Printing The perfect Prosthetic Leg Socket

It's no secret that living with a missing limb is difficult, and even the process of getting a prosthetic -- in the case at hand, a leg -- can be quite tiresome. Today's sockets (the part of the prosthetic that meets the "stub" of the leg) often take several rounds of fittings, adjustments, and tweaks before they're wearable. Biomedical engineer Lizbeth López, who has been working at Tec de Monterrey in Mexico under thesis advisor Dr. Ciro Rodriquez, has set out to create a 3D printed transtibial leg socket that can be customized for its wearer. Successful tests with a patient in each Mexico and Brazil show promise for the design. The socket took 17 hours to print in polyamide on an SLS HiQ 3D printer -- and perfectly fit the Brazilian patient on the very first fitting, requiring the adjustment of only one single screw. Check out details about this incredible project in the full article: http://3dprint.com/41606/3d-printed-prosthetic-leg/


Below is a photo of final structure renderings:
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...1-1024x611.jpg