3D cast breakthroughs

3D-printed ultrasound cast could save us costly surgeries

02 MAY 14  by LIAT CLARK Osteoid

Last year the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved a low-intensity ultrasound system, known asExogen, for use in the NHS on bone fractures that fail to heal after nine months. Now, Turkish industrial designer Deniz Karasahin wants to make that healing a more beautiful, and patient-friendly experience.

"The process started itself, somehow," Karasahin told Wired.co.uk of his Osteoid cast development. "I was asked to make a small informative presentation about 3D technologies at the Izmir Chamber of Commerce. At the time I was also following the growth of the industry very closely and wanted to contribute. The cast idea was the most promising area because it added the most benefit compared with contemporary applications."

3D printing hearts and livers might be in the early development stages, but 3D printing medical devices and parts has been ongoing for years -- in 2013, iLab Haiti began using MakerBot printers to create umbilical cord clamps on the spot. And if anything is ripe for disruption, it's the sweaty, stinky, itchy plaster cast that has remained relatively unchanged for decades.