2. Personalized Manufacturing Personalized manufacturing of medical devices is essential given our societal demographics and aging population. 171 million people worldwide have diabetes; 2x by 2030. Diabetes is the most common cause of non-traumatic amputation of the lower limb. 750,000 Americans have a stroke each year. 6 million stroke survivors currently in the U.S; their most often stated goal is to restore their mobility. 773,000 Americans have a hip or knee replaced each year.
3. Personalized Manufacturing To improve the rehabilitation and quality of life for those with various neuromuscular and musculoskeletal disorders
There is great need to develop personalized manufacturing of medical devices given our societal demographics and aging population where musculoskeletal injuries and disease, and joint degradation are prevalent.
Our vision in the Cockrell School of Engineering is to …You can think of a wide range of patient populations that rely on medical devices such as amputees who need prosthetic devices, stroke patients who need assistive devices or older adults who need joint replacements.Our goal to improve quality of life is to not only improve the performance of their medical devices (e.g., enhancing their mobility), but also to improve comfort. This is our vision.
Some subjects have neural or muscle deficiencies that impair their ability to generate force and control their limbs. We have developed ankle foot orthoses from simple laser scans of the residual limb that store and release elastic energy to help these individuals walk. Others have used additive manufacturing to generate joint and dental implants and hearing aids. SLS can be used to reconstruct the skeletal systems from scan images to aid in surgical procedures.An exciting area for future research is using additive manufacturing to develop subject-specific scaffolds and bones needed as a result of bone loss from traumatic injuries, cancer etc.
One of the pressing issues is that current commercial devices (e.g., prosthetic feet) come in standard sizes, which are most often sub-optimal. The foot that would be optimal for me would not be for you, which can lead to detrimental effects.The value that the Cockrell School of Engineering brings is …We have the technology to do it at a reduced cost.Our framework allows for local manufacturing.And we can significantly reduce the time to deliver a device.
What distinguishes the Cockrell School of Engineering is that we developed and patented the additive manufacturing technology and are the world leader in the field. SLS manufacturing is a form of 3D printing that allows us to generate complex devices from computer models of the devices of interest.Faster machines and materials with greater capabilities.Personalized manufacturing offers incredible entrepreneurial development opportunities.