Today’s story is about a veteran who, until recently, was unable to stand up independently or maintain an upright position due to a severe spinal injury.
As a result of the injury, the patient’s lower limbs had undergone complete muscle atrophy, so additional fixation and support were required for standing.
Standard orthoses are available and can be used to support the knee joint. In this case, however, they could not provide the necessary level of fixation or accommodate the patient’s individual anatomical characteristics.
A personalised solution was needed.
This marked the beginning of the development of our experimental standing orthosis—a device designed specifically for the anatomy of an individual patient.
Junior Innovator Engineer Mariia Ovsiannikova completed the entire development cycle:
→ 3D scanning of the lower limbs
→ creation of a personalised digital model
→ CAD design of the device
→ production using 3D printing
→ fitting and design refinement
→ testing during rehabilitation
The most important outcome is not merely the creation of the device, but the expansion of the patient’s abilities in everyday life.
Today, using the orthosis and additional support, he can maintain an upright position and cover approximately 1.5 km per day.
We are not claiming a complete restoration of lower-limb function. This is a tangible step towards greater independence and the ability to perform more everyday activities without assistance.
For us, this project demonstrates how an individual human need can become the basis for an engineering solution.
Instead of adapting a person to a standard device, we create a device tailored to their anatomy, needs, and specific rehabilitation goals.
Junior Innovator / Startup & Additive Manufacturing — Maria Ovsiannikova
Biomedical / Mechanical Engineering
Our devices are experimental prototypes intended for testing, research, and further adaptation. They are not intended for commercial use.
The research prototypes are developed and tested in collaboration with engineers and under the supervision and guidance of medical professionals.
ХэштегBiomedicalEngineering ХэштегRehabilitationEngineering ХэштегAMSP
