3D Printing the SynDaver Open-Source Healthcare Mannequin

As desktop 3D printers become more robust, reliable, and feature-rich, we are seeing a definite shift in professional use-cases from prototyping to producing final products.

Healthcare simulation is a highly targeted and rapidly growing industry. Medical simulators are used as surrogates by doctors, nurses, and veterinarians to practice complex life-saving procedures in a low-risk environment while replicating the same degree of stress as the real world.  Being able to hone medical skills with life-like replicas of infants, children, adults, and even animals can literally make the difference between life and death outcomes in an emergency.

Often the ability to work on real cadaver – when you can get one – is limited.  With high-end models (like the one featured in Mythbusters and Shark Tank) everything is the right color, in the right place, and has the accurate molecular weight and tactile feel.  You can do the same procedure ten times over with no loss of fidelity or realism, and no harm to real bodies. Lifelike medical models like these can cost over $100,000. But what if you can’t afford the price tag, just need some basic functionality, or can’t find one in the specific size or gender you need?

Enter SynDaver – a current leader in manufacturing synthetic humans and animals for training in schools, hospitals, and military bases.  They recently released their SynDaver Advanced Modular Mannequin (SAMM), which is the only fully customizable, open-source, 3D printed simulator in the world. For the introductory price of only $9998, you get a life-sized 3D printed mannequin, a desktop 3D printer, and license for ZBrush CAD software.

Kevin King, recently named Vice President of Global Marketing for SynDaver, has put many prior years into an ambulance career as a paramedic, and therefore understands first-hand how much of an impact SAMM can make.