AMMAN, JORDAN — <br />Doctors looking to 3D technology to provide prosthetic access to poor and wounded refugees in the Middle East.<br /><br />Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, has been working with a hospital in Amman, Jordan to help upper-limb amputees from war-torn nations.<br /><br />Before designing a prosthetic limb, the team assesses each patient and makes a scan of their stumps.<br /><br />They use flexible thermoplastic polyurethane to 3D-print the socket and hand, and a firmer plastic to create the forearm. The 3D printed prosthetics take only 24 hours to design and produce and costs only a fraction of the normal price at $20.<br /><br />When the parts have been assembled together, the limb can be painted to match the patient's skin tone.<br /><br />Doctors make sure the lightweight prosthetic limb fits comfortably on the stump, ensuring patients will be able to use it long-term, according to their needs. <br /><br />Doctors Without Borders is still improving the process, but wants to expand to other missions in the future.
