According to the Wohlers Report 2016, the 3D printing industry was over $5.1 billion back in 2015, and it’s continued to grow into the $10 billion a year industry it is now. But it hasn’t fulfilled everything we thought it would – the 3D printing hype has slowed down, and most people have now realized that a veritable desktop factory won’t be the norm for everyone. But technology journalist and 3D printing enthusiast Kit Eaton says that while we are definitely “a long way from a 3D printer in every home,” some of the less eye-popping 3D printing applications, like industrial manufacturing and production and medical technology, are frequently overlooked. The Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is working to change that.
HCII professor Jennifer Mankoff, who researches assistive technologies and human assistance, says that using customizable 3D printing technology to manufacture assistive technologies and prosthetics is the perfect solution to a large problem, as it allows for a safer, more cost-effective alternative. The US market for assistive devices rings in at just under $1 million: roughly 700,000 people have an upper limb amputation, and about 6.8 million other people have fine motor and/or arm dexterity limitations. All of these people could regain a certain amount of independence through assistive technology.
Mankoff explained, “What people need is simple – a better way to hold a knitting needle, roll out dough or open a jar. Yet finding individually customized solutions to each of these problems is almost impossible. When it comes to such task-specific, custom prosthetics, mass production isn’t really an option.”
We talk about 3D printed prosthetics a lot here. But Mankoff said that the market for assistive technology is only designed around a small number of recipients, and certainly not the millions of people who require devices and technologies that are usually fairly expensive.
“In addition, there’s only so many variations that can be supported by such a market. In contrast, our work at the Institute focuses on individualized tools that meet personal and task-specific needs, we can make hands or arms quickly, inexpensively and they have specific advantages in terms of design flexibility and weight,” Mankoff said.
CMU’s assistive technologies project, created by a research team within the university’s School of Computer Science and volunteer network e-NABLE, aims to develop more inexpensive methods of manufacturing and distributing these life-changing upper limb prosthetics for the people who need them most; one of those methods is obviously 3D printing.
Mankoff said, “[We’ve designed] prosthetic devices for [various] specific tasks: For example, playing the cello, operating a hand-cycle, and using a table knife. By creating task-specific solutions, customized to the needs of the person and a task they care about, we believe it is possible to improve the retention of prosthetic devices. When a prosthetic does not fit the needs of its user well, it is likely to be abandoned. We believe that one way to reduce this is to make more task-specific solutions.”
A young cello player, 11-year-old Kharan Wilbur of Pittsburgh, has only one arm, but the team created a prosthesis for Wilbur so he could play the cello.
This specific prosthesis allows for more fine-grain movement than traditionally manufactured prosthetic arms do: prototypes and design ideas can be changed and upgraded several times, as 3D printing makes iterative design much easier. Additionally, while a typical prosthetic hand could cost between $6,000 and $10,000, 3D printing offers more affordable solutions. In addition to helping over 1,500 people since the project began in 2013, CMU’s assistive technologies project allowed Wilbur to play the cello at his elementary school recital.
Mankoff says that the overarching goal of the project is to make the process smarter.
“We are working to develop technologies for tracking use over time so we can discover how 3D-printed prosthetic devices are used, and what opportunities exist to improve their adoption and reduce abandonment. We are also working on new materials and new ways of printing that can increase comfort and support new types of interactive devices.”
Share your thoughts in the 3D Printed Prosthesis forum at 3DPB.com.
[Sources: Forbes, Health Tech Insider, Digital Trends / Images: CMU]
Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
Print Services
Upload your 3D Models and get them printed quickly and efficiently.
You May Also Like
3D Printing News Briefs, June 11, 2025: Sustainability, Automotive Tooling, & More
We’re starting with sustainability news in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, as EOS has strengthened its commitment on climate responsibility, and Zestep is making 3D printing filament out of eyewear...
3D Printing 50 Polymer Stand-In Parts for Tokamaks at the PPPL & Elytt Energy
Of all the world’s things, a tokamak is one of the hardest, most complex, expensive and exacting ones to make. These fusion energy devices make plasma, and use magnets to...
3D Printing News Briefs, May 17, 2025: Color-Changing Materials, Humanoid Robot, & More
We’re covering research innovations in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs! First, Penn Engineering developed 3D printed materials that change color under stress, and UC Berkeley researchers created an open source,...
Firehawk Aerospace Partners with JuggerBot 3D, Gets $1.25M from AFWERX for 3D Printed Propellants
Texas-based Firehawk Aerospace, an advanced energetic materials firm that works with aerospace and defense applications, announced a strategic partnership with JuggerBot 3D, an Ohio-based large-format 3D printer manufacturer. Together, the...