Prosthetics Research Paper

Prosthetics. They have been around since the Ancient Egyptians, for example, a wooden toe used to walk and do tasks normally. They have helped amputees regain their normal everyday lives, whether it be doing daily tasks like brushing teeth, or continuing their athletic careers like snowboarder Amy Purdy. Of these amputees, about 70% of them decide to buy and use a prosthetic, be it an arm, leg, finger, hand, or foot, along with many other possibilities (“Limb”). They do this to regain normalcy in their lives and live as they did pre amputation. The total number of amputations is about about 185,000 amputations in the U.S. per year (“Limb”). This means that about 125900 people get prosthetics. The desire to regain normalcy has brought forth many technological advances that have allowed amputees to live life as they once did. Many technological discoveries have assisted the prosthetics industry to blossom into more
It is a process in which metal or plastic or whatever material is being used for that product, is layered on until the product is created. Lots of programming goes into the more complex devices, such as prosthetics. 3D printed prosthetics is a great way to save money on prosthetics. Expensive prosthetics can cost up to 100,000 dollars, but 3D printed prosthetics for kids, especially because they will grow out of them, can cost as low as 100 dollars (Bhatia). 3D prosthetics can and are being created by students nationwide in Fab Labs. Fab Labs are labs that contain the necessary tools for 3D printing. These tools consist of 3D printers, laser cutters, laptops, and engraving machines. Many schools, like Charlotte Latin, and Harvard, have these Fab Labs. Students have been able to print prosthetics, showing the how even students can help amputees. 3D printed can increase our technological knowledge of these inventions, and eventually be able to help all