Sharebot and OBM Initiative Partner to Make 3D Printed Biomedical Technology Accessible to All

With many of the heartwarming stories hitting the headlines regarding 3D printing, it’s easy to overlook one of the most important aspects of this innovative technology that truly does have the power to change the world: sharing. For survival, humans are naturally built to have a bit of competitive edge, but sharing and working together is even more crucial to survival — as well as the continued progression of what we consider to be a highly evolved world.

In an example of shaking hands and making a commitment to sharing knowledge and resources to help make the world a better place, Sharebot and Open Biomedical Initiative have just announced that they are forging a partnership. Sharebot designs and manufactures 3D printers in Italy, and OBM Initiative is a nonprofit organization for low cost, open source 3D printable biomedical technologies.

“This cooperation will open the biomedical doors to 3D printing technology. Our firms will work together to create objects that can support humanity and the entire world unifying our know-how in the 3D printing world and the research made by OBM Initiative,” Claudio Bonfiglioli of Sharebot told 3DPrint.com.

Both Italy-based companies are involved in the mission to help improve the lives of others with sharing of open source design and 3D printing. OBM Initiative is a newly formed nonprofit organization with an intitiative put in place to see to it that all across the world biomedical technologies that can be 3D printed are accessible to those very much in need. Prostheses are used as an example of this.

According to OBM Initiative, “In the world there are more than 30 million people who need prostheses and about 80% of these people cannot afford them; more than 30 thousand hospitals, medical centres and humanitarian communities are in need of BioMedical Technologies (hardware and software) but 60% of them are using makeshift equipment; more than a billion poor people in developing countries and 100 million in industrialized countries could not afford basic biomedical devices.” This is what they aim to change, with help from Sharebot in the 3D printing arena.

OBM Initiative has established a platform so that all their inter-related experts can communicate, manage projects, and collect data and information from volunteers worldwide, without being limited by geography. With a team composed of ‘engineers, doctors, biotechnologists, makers, enthusiasts, and curious people’ they are always looking for new members who can help with their mission and efforts.

Sharebot is also a relatively new Italian company, founded in 2012 by two entrepreneurs dedicated to producing third-generation 3D printers that allow those interested in making 3D printed prototypes to do so reliably and affordably.

The combined objectives are to provide affordable biomedical technologies through a commitment to the open source philosophy — and the use of 3D printing. The partnership between OBM Initiative and Sharebot is meant to merge the world of 3D printing with biomedical technology.

3D printing enthusiasts on most every level understand and propel the sharing phenomenon further, with open source design that can continually be improved on with worldwide communication for collaboration and feedback, and a positive energy flowing in a large and ever-growing community of designers, inventors, scientists, and much more. The world of partnerships is growing more solidified as experts in challenging fields reach out to one another to make astounding innovations that could rarely come to fruition without teamwork.

What do you think of the impact these two companies can have together? Share your thoughts with us in the Sharebot and OBM Initiative Partnership forum at 3DPB.com.