A method of manufacturing an external breast prosthesis (12), includes the steps of providing a 3D image of the breast prosthesis, forming the breast prosthesis using an additive manufacturing process, in which additive manufacturing process the breast prosthesis is made by forming a structure of a thermoplastic elastomer, the structure corresponding to the 3D image of the breast prosthesis, wherein the structure is a reticulated solid foam.

A unibody transtibial prosthetic device includes a socket personalized for a specific patient’s residual limb. A pylon extends from the socket, the pylon being a unitary polymer structure of interconnected elongated supports having open spaces therebetween. The device also includes a foot-ankle complex, the foot-ankle complex being a unitary polymer extending from the pylon, the foot and ankle unitary structure being shaped to provide multi-axial dynamic flex to enable dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, inversion and eversion motion for smooth symmetric gait performance and energy capture and return. The socket, pylon and foot-ankle complex are portions of a unibody.

A sleeve generally shaped as a limb and an overlapping area of curvature formed in the sleeve extending a length of the sleeve. A clasp is formed from slicing the overlapping area of curvature the length of the sleeve along a line substantially perpendicular to a transverse plane to create a first end and a second end. The sleeve is openable to separate the first end and the second end of the clasp for fitting the sleeve around the prosthesis and latchable by fitting the first end of the clasp over the second end of the clasp.

A method for 3D printing a prosthetic socket from a digital model, including printing a solid wall perimeter of the prosthetic socket with a width achieved in a single pass of a printing nozzle, and forming a plurality of stiffener elements proximate a bottom end of the prosthetic socket, as a function of the printing the solid wall perimeter, is provided. Also provided is a 3D printed prosthetic socket including an upper portion, a lower portion configured to be attached to a prosthetic pylon, and a plurality of stiffener elements radially extending from the lower portion, wherein the upper portion, the lower portion, and the plurality of stiffener elements are printed as a solid wall construction comprised of a printing material deposited using only a single pass of a printing nozzle.

A prosthetic appendage for attachment to an outer extremity of an amputated limb that is composed of modular elements fabricated by three-dimensional printing. In one embodiment the prosthetic appendage is a leg. The prosthetic leg includes a foot portion and a plurality of modular and three-dimensionally printed limb elements. One of the plurality of limb elements is pivotally coupled to the foot portion and another of the limb elements is configured at one end to receive the outer extremity of the amputated leg. In another embodiment of the present invention the prosthetic appendage is a hand. The prosthetic hand includes a wrist element with one end configured to receive the outer extremity of an amputated hand, a base portion attached to the wrist element and a plurality of modular and three-dimensionally printed finger elements selectively coupled to adjacent finger elements or the base to form prosthetic fingers.

A passive prosthetic foot enables a below-knee amputee to walk with near able-body walking motions. The prosthetic foot includes a resilient heel that enables the heel to strike a walking surface more softly than in the prior art and more accurately transition the leg from swing phase to stance phase. The prosthetic foot is modeled generally as a wide Bézier curve, and the foot is characterized according to a set of at least 12 variables, including h, C1d, C2x, C2y, C2d, C3x, C3y, C3d, C4x, C4d, C5d and C6d, where C3y is heel size, C4x is heel geometry and C6d is curve intersection location. The variables are optimized to minimize a difference between a normal lower leg trajectory during gait and a modeled trajectory that includes the prosthetic foot.

The invention relates to a process of designing and manufacturing a tailored 3D printed or standard prosthetic socket for a residual limb with a 3D printed distal end, and a computer device for carrying out the process. The process includes obtaining a digital surface of the residual limb and information about the patient, possibly altering the digital surface of the residual limb, creating a shell of the prosthetic socket comprising the altered digital surface of the residual limb, virtually spatially arranging the prosthetic socket including virtual spatial translational or rotational movements of selected prosthetic parts and the prosthetic socket for optimal load transfer from a residual limb to the prosthesis, wherein the structural design of the prosthetic socket is based on the virtual axial adjustment of the prosthesis.

An example method for producing a prosthetic device for a patient includes obtaining imaging data corresponding to a body part of a patient, generating an object model corresponding to the body part based on the imaging data, generating a prosthesis model based on the object model, generating a set of instructions based on the prosthesis model, and executing the set of instructions using a three-dimensional printer, where the set of instructions, when executed by the three-dimensional printer, cause the three-dimensional printer to produce the prosthetic device for the patient.

Prostheses include a terminal device, a back-lock mechanism, a wrist, a limb-socket, and a harness system. The terminal device can be a five-fingered mechanical hand that provides a releasable adaptive grasp, and has independently flexible fingers. The limb socket can be 3D printed using a molded model of a remnant limb. The harness strap can encircle an unaffected limb and is coupled to the terminal device with a cable so that a user can control the terminal device. The harness system can include a 3D printed harness ring that couples to the cable.

A compliant prosthetic foot is designed and fabricated by combining a compliant mechanism optimization technique with a calculation of low leg trajectory error under a reference loading condition. The compliant mechanism optimization technique includes a set of determinants for the compliant prosthetic foot. An optimized set of determinants of the compliant prosthetic foot is formed that minimizes the lower leg trajectory error relative to a target kinematic data set. The compliant prosthetic foot is then fabricated in conformance with the optimized set of determinants.