Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




TECH SPACE
3D printers get Ugandan amputees back on their feet
By Amy Fallon
Kisubi, Uganda (AFP) June 2, 2015


Doctors amputated Ugandan schoolboy Jesse Ayebazibwe's right leg when he was hit by a truck while walking home from school three years ago.

Afterwards he was given crutches, but that was all, and so he hobbled about. "I liked playing like a normal kid before the accident," the nine-year-old said.

Now an infrared scanner, a laptop and a pair of 3D printers are changing everything for Jesse and others like him, offering him the chance of a near-normal life.

"The process is quite short, that's the beauty of the 3D printers," said Moses Kaweesa, an orthopaedic technologist at Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services (CoRSU) in Uganda which, together with Canada's University of Toronto and the charity Christian Blind Mission, is making the prostheses.

"Jesse was here yesterday, today he's being fitted," said Kaweesa, 34.

In the past, the all-important plaster cast sockets that connect prosthetic limbs to a person's hip took about a week to make, and were often so uncomfortable people ended up not wearing them.

Plastic printed ones can be made in a day and are a closer, more comfortable fit.

The scanner, laptop and printer cost around $12,000 (10,600 euros), with the materials costing just $3 (2.65 euros).

Ayebazibwe got his first, old-style prosthesis last year but is now part of a trial that could lead to the 3D technology changing lives across the country.

- Life-changing technology -

The technology is only available to a few, however, and treatment for disability in Uganda in general remains woeful.

"There's no support from the government for disabled people," said Kaweesa. "We have a disability department and a minister for disabled people, but they don't do anything."

There are just 12 trained prosthetic technicians for over 250,000 children who have lost limbs, often due to fires or congenital diseases.

The 3D technology is portable and allows technicians to work on multiple patients at a time, increasing the reach of their life-changing intervention.

"You can travel with your laptop and scanner," said Kaweesa, adding that the technology could be of great use in northern Uganda, a part of the country where many people lost limbs during decades of war between the government and Lord's Resistance Army rebels, who specialised in chopping off limbs.

After receiving his first 3D socket Ayebazibwe was overjoyed. "I felt good, like my normal leg," he said. "I can do anything now -- run and play football."

The boy's 53-year old grandmother, Florence Akoth, looks after him, even carrying him the two kilometres (miles) to school after his leg was crushed and his life shattered. She too is thrilled.

"Now he's liked at school, plays, does work, collects firewood and water," said Akoth, who struggles to make ends meet as a poorly-paid domestic worker caring for five children.

Sitting on a bench outside the CoRSU fitting room were three young children and their parents.

"This is her first time walking on two legs," said Kaweesa, pointing at a timid young girl who lost both her legs in a fire.

"Because they've seen other kids walking, playing, they realise they've been missing that," he said "Once you fit them they start walking and even running."


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








TECH SPACE
Scientists make tough biogel structures with 3-D printer
Boston (UPI) Jun 1, 2015
Material scientists at MIT have created tough biocompatible materials, called hydrogels, using a 3-D printer. Like a super strong sponge, the hydrogels are soft, wet and intricately patterned. The structures feature water-soluble molecules encased in rubbery polymer strands. The strands are organized in woven networks and layered, creating a robust and tough material with a variety of r ... read more


TECH SPACE
Google Lunar X-Prize meets Yoda

China, Russia plan joint landing on the Moon

NASA's LRO Moves Closer to the Lunar Surface

European Space Agency Director Wants to Set Up a Moon Base

TECH SPACE
NASA Begins Testing Next Mars Lander Insight

The Supreme Council of Parachute Experts

Science Drives NASA's Journey to Mars

The Moon or Mars: Flawed Debate, False Choice - Part One

TECH SPACE
New wave of smart tech on show at Taiwan's Computex

New urban landscape at Taiwan's Computex

Boeing Awarded First Commercial Human Spaceflight Mission

Like Sleeping Beauty, some research lies dormant for decades

TECH SPACE
China Plans First Ever Landing On The Lunar Far Side

China ranked 4th among world space powers

3D printer making Chinese space suit parts

Xinhua Insight: How China joins space club?

TECH SPACE
NASA Begins Major Reconfiguration of International Space Station

Roundworms have the Right Stuff

ISS module relocation makes way for Commercial Crew spacecraft

ISS Partners Adjust Spacecraft Schedule

TECH SPACE
Air Force Certifies SpaceX for National Security Space Missions

SpaceX cleared for US military launches

Ariane 5's second launch of 2015

SpaceX cleared for US military launches

TECH SPACE
Weather forecasts for planets beyond our solar system

Astrophysicists offer proof that famous image shows forming planets

Astronomers detect drastic atmospheric change in super Earth

New exoplanet too big for its star

TECH SPACE
3D printers get Ugandan amputees back on their feet

Saving money and the environment with 3-D printing

Thin coating on condensers could make power plants more efficient

New computational technique advances color 3D printing process




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.