3-D printed wheelchair built to conform to body and disability

World Today

3-D printed wheelchair built to conform to body and disability

It’s the first of its kind in the world: a 3-D-printed wheelchair. The device was recently unveiled by a London-based design company.
As CCTV’s Frances Kuo reports the hope is to change the lives of wheelchair users for the better.

Designer Benjamin Hubert is creating a 3-D printed wheelchair with a more personal touch. Its seat and foot bay are made to conform to the user’s individual body shape, weight and disability.

Computer technology allows each device to be tailor-made. The user’s body is scanned and the data recorded and mapped. Computer algorithms tweak the information to maximize the wheelchair’s comfort, flexibility and performance. Then, 3-D printing creates it.

The framework that can also help reduce the risk of injury. It took two years for Hubert to create his prototype with 3-D printing specialists.
And with time he hopes to dispel stigmas, too. The makers are working with wheelchair manufacturers on how to integrate their design.

3-D technology is also spurring wheelchair innovation in Brazil. Researchers there say their prototype enables users to fully control a wheelchair through small movements of their head, face and eyes detected by a 3-D camera. It’s a true breakthrough for people who have limited use of their hands and arms.