Summary
The goal of this project is to design a cost effective, 3D printable biocompatible prosthetic foot, capable of facilitating full movement and most athletic function, with less than 10% compromised gait. A study of high school runners led to the analysis of forces that affect movement to improve the prosthetic’s overall function and biocompatibility. Once forces of movement were known, 3D printed specimens were tested to critical failure discerning the effectiveness of over 53 different iterations of design. Applied physics and mathematics were used to quantify and compensate for 3D printing anomalies that differ from industrial standards. 3D printable prosthetics enable the optimization of material properties which mimic the function of the limb the prosthetic foot is replacing, while making the prosthetic affordable to the masses. The 3D printed Nylon 6/6 design can be easily scaled, redesigned and reprinted as needed to accommodate human growth. Each reprinting will cost no more than $23 in materials, compared to the $18,000 it costs to replace a standard prosthetic foot; and will function at the same level. The result is an affordable, 3D printable prosthetic foot that exceeds basic ambulation capability and allows active adult function for a fraction of the cost.
Inspiration
I wanted to help the developing world. I came across a picture of a little Congolese girl who had suffered a forced foot amputation after Bosco Ntaganda and his child soldiers raided her village. This stuck with me and I conducted research on why the “prosthetics” she had were so rudimentary. After realizing that lower limb prosthetics are the most common type of amputation and that they are also prohibitively expensive I found the basis for my project. I did not know much about rapid prototyping at the time but just a couple of days later my high school purchased a new 3D printer. Naturally I had to know about the cool new gadget in my classroom, so I looked up “Ultimate”, the brand of the 3D printer at the school. On the front page of their website was a short documentary about 3D printing engineers who paired with prosthetists visiting Haiti who were fitting children with cheap 3D printed prosthetics. I felt the need to design a biocompatible prosthetic that could change a child’s life to give them the basic function I take for granted every day.
Media interviews
Click to view.