Where Are 3D-Printed Casts?

In 2015, I met Scott Summit, Design Director of 3DSystems. At that time, he was wearing a cast due to ongoing issues with his wrist. He told me it was a cast specific for himself; and one that his physician could open and close in seconds. He even told me he could shower with it, without the need to wrap it in plastic bags. That was, of course, no ordinary cast as it was a 3D-printed cast. However, since that time, I haven’t come across any medical practitioners who offer 3D-printed casts as part of normal care. Nor have I seen people with casts wearing 3D-printed ones. There are companies that do produce these peripherals, but it’s the same old gypsum casts that prevail. Source: https://www.3dprintingmedia.network/ So what happened to those promising 3D-printed casts? Were they a fad that will remain only a fantasy for tech enthusiasts? It was challenging to find the exact reason so we tried to speculate why. We also asked insights of an expert, namely Juan Monzón Fabrega. Fabrega is the ex-CEO of Exovite, a company that used to manufacture 3D-printed casts itself. Finding out what happened to 3D-printed casts and why they haven’t broken into healthcare might provide valuable insights into what we can expect from other seemingly-exciting and advanced technologies. Companies and startups investing in such solutions could thus learn where to improve where 3D-printed casts failed. Cast from the past The appeal for 3D-printed casts isn’t based on h...
Source: The Medical Futurist - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: 3D Printing Future of Medicine future of hospital plaster cast 3d printed Xkelet CastPrint Exovite Source Type: blogs