Kickstarter Success, Fuel3D, Secures $1.1 Million For 3D Medical Scanner Development

There has been a lot of talk this week about 3D technologies on Kickstarter, with M3D’s “The Micro” printer bringing in over $1 million in funding in under 24 hours on the world’s largest crowdfunding platform. Today, a past Kickstarter success, specializing in 3D scanning, Fuel3D, has made a major announcement.

The company which is a spin-off from an Oxford University lab, secured a $1.1 million contract for the development of medical imaging technology based around its 3D scanning technology. The contract was signed with the Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare, which is an NHS England program looking to fund new advanced healthcare technologies.

Since Fuel3D raised $325,343 on Kickstarter just over seven months ago, the company has grown substantially. After the Kickstarter funding, they took in an additional $2.6 million from venture capitalists in February, and have been considering filing for an initial public offering sometime next year.

While the company is expecting to ship out their first 3D scanners to Kickstarter backers in the next few weeks, they are delighted to have the opportunity to work within the healthcare sector to push new medical technologies forward.

“Our core technology was originally developed with medical imaging applications in mind, so we are delighted to have secured this contract in order to ensure that, under Fuel3D, the Eykona scanning technology continues to play a role in the healthcare sector,” noted Fuel3D CEO, Stuart Mead, in a statement.

The company expects to use their proprietary technology within several medical fields, including, plastic surgery, prosthetics, and orthotics. This news will not slow down their work on developing their consumer based scanning products. Back in 2012 the company, then known as Eykona ltd, also took funds from the Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare, to develop technologies for the 3D imaging of wounds.  It will certainly be interesting to see what new exciting medical uses can be developed from Fuel3D’s knowledge, experience, and background within the industry.