Prosthetic limbs comprising three-dimensionally printed elements

Abstract

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.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention pertains generally to prosthetic limbs and, more particularly, to prosthetic hands and prosthetic legs.[0002]The use of prosthetics has a long history dating back some three thousand years to wooden toes found on Egyptian mummies. Prosthetic limbs are rife in literature from Captain Ahab's wooden leg in “Moby Dick” to Captain Hook's eponymous appendage in “Peter Pan”. A prosthetic limb replaces a missing extremity, such as an arm or leg and may be needed for a variety of reasons including accidents and disease. An artificial limb may also be needed when a person is born with a missing or damaged limb. The type of prosthetic limb to be used is largely determined by the extent of amputation and the location of the missing limb. A transtibial prosthesis, for example, is an artificial leg attached to an outer extremity of a user's amputated limb below the knee. This prosthetic includes a lower leg, a foot and preferably some form of...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a prosthetic limb that is suitable for use in remote locations and can be manufactured at reduced cost. It also allows for easy replacement of individual components without having to replace the entire prosthetic. The prosthetic hand has a thumb structure that includes two three-dimensional printed thumb elements that pivot in a perpendicular plane to the first plurality of finger elements. A flexible connector is used to connect the thumb elements and an actuator causes the thumb elements to pivot and open or close.

Problems solved by technology

One problem with existing prosthetic limbs is that they are not readily available to people living in remote or developing parts of the world.

Many amputees in developing areas of the world, including large portions of Africa, lack access to prosthetic limb manufacturers and often do not have the financial resources to purchase them.

An actual interface is then made with this mold and typically must be custom made, thereby significantly increasing the cost and time to make the prosthetic limb available to an individual user.

Without access to an appropriate facility or resources to pay for a such prosthetic limb, many amputees in remote locations and developing countries cannot obtain properly designed prosthetic limbs and may be forced to rely instead upon other devices for mobility, such as crutches.

Various prosthetic limbs based upon materials such wood, fiberglass and bamboo exist in the market today, but these devices tend to be heavy and require substantial custom fitting and adjustment.

More sophisticated models also exist, and adjust well to a user, but tend to be prohibitive in terms of the costs to both manufacture and customize to an individual user.

Another deficiency of conventional prosthetic limbs is that the entire prosthetic limb typically has to be replaced if a single component experiences a break.

Images