Breaking your arm is no fun, nor is keeping the ailing limb immobile for weeks on end as it heals. But an eye-catching prototype design for a 3D-printed cast could at least keep you cool.
Osteoid, which recently won an A’Design Award, is the brainchild of Turkish designer Deniz Karasahin, and its open, web-like form was inspired by the geometry of spongy bone.
The plastic cast can be custom-designed to fit the person who needs it, and its structure is made in two parts that fit together. The airy design makes it light, and the limb less prone to becoming itchy and smelly than with conventional casts. It is also claimed that the prototype is unaffected by water and environmentally friendly.
It’s not the first time someone has thought of a 3D-printed cast, but this design has another trick – it can be combined with a low-intensity pulsed ultrasound system to deliver ultrasound in short sessions to the affected area. Some studies suggest that this kind of stimulation might speed up healing.
