The CYBER Team, which stands for Cyber-Physical Design and Additive Manufacturing of Custom Orthoses, is on a mission to leverage 3D printing and Industry 4.0 to make better Ankle Foot Orthotics (AFO), and more specifically to address the orthotics needs of veterans. Funded by America Makes, the national accelerator for 3D printing and additive manufacturing based in Youngstown, Ohio, the CYBER team was formed in 2016 by Stratasys, the University of Michigan, and Altair Engineering.
At the moment, existing methods for designing and manufacturing custom orthoses are time-consuming for both patients and providers, as well as inaccurate. By replacing traditional methods with 3D printing, we have the potential to increase mass customization and overall adoption of the technology in the O&P field, in addition to improving the function of orthoses.
America Makes just published a success story on the latest result of the CYBER Team’s hard work.
The CYBER Team hopes to combine cloud-based designs and Stratasys’ FDM technology to address the challenges in the orthotics design methodology for 3D printing durability, material strength, system integration, and throughput, and ultimately streamline patient care so orthotic outpatient visits can be lowered from three to one.
The project, which aligns with ASTM International‘s Material Extrusion process category, has a total budget of $2 million, split between public and private funding, and additional partners include Becker Orthopedic, Standard Cyborg, and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare Center; the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense are public participants.
Read more: CYBER Team Uses FDM Digital Workflow for 3D Printed Orthotics
thumbnail courtesy of 3dprint.com
