Turkish student Deniz Karasahin recently won the Golden A’ Design Award for his cast called the Osteoid. The Osteoid incorporates 3D printing and ultrasonic technology to stimulate bone repair.
The idea of using ultrasonic technology to help heal bones (and other wounds) has been around for some time, but doctors couldn’t get past the plaster cast to apply the ultrasonic therapy.
The project description states “For single 20 minute daily sessions this system promises to reduce the healing process up to 38% and increase the heal rate up to 80% in non-union fractures.”
Conventional medical casts sacrifice ventilation for structural integrity, the Osteoid offers a solution to this issue in a non-bulky and light cast that doesn’t heavily limit the patient’s exposure to water, which could make smelly and itchy casts a thing of the past.
The casts are made from two pieces that can be fixed together. Due to the material properties of the cast, the products are slimmer, lighter, can be multiple colors and are more environmentally friendly than plaster casts.
When asked about the Osteoid, hand surgeon Dr. Michael Hausman said “We know that ultrasound works. There is good evidence, presented most recently in two papers published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, the leading journal in orthopaedics.” But he also points out that the device will be more expensive than current plaster casts. The good news is that 3D printing is rapidly becoming cheaper.
“The process started itself, somehow,” Karasahin told Wired.co.uk “I was asked to make a small informative presentation about 3D technologies at the Izmir Chamber of Commerce. At the time I was also following the growth of the industry very closely and wanted to contribute. The cast idea was the most promising area because it added the most benefit compared with contemporary applications.”
The cast appears to be an improvement on the Cortex Cast, a 3D printed alternative to traditional plaster and fiberglass casts, designed by Jake Evill, a graduate from the Architecture and Design school at Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand. Jake Evill won the Icon Awards Technology of the Year 2013 and the New Zealand national James Dyson Award, the concept also received 2nd place in the International James Dyson Award.
The Osteoid is just a prototype at the moment, however, future production will enable each individual to have a custom-fitted cast.
Right now, Karasahin is working on a locking mechanism in order to better protect the broken bone: something that is “strong enough to protect the limb, practical enough to put it on the fragile injured area and simple enough so that it doesn’t disturb the general form of the medical cast.”
