Stratasys, Michigan University and Altair Engineering Co-Found CYBER

Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS), the University of Michigan and Altair Engineering have co-founded CYBER to transforming the orthotics industry through 3D printing.
According to an article on 3Ders.org:

While we’ve already seen plenty of 3D printed prostheses and bionic limbs that replace missing arms and limbs, that is actually a relatively small portion of the collective of wearable medical devices. At some point in our lives, most of us will have worn orthotics or braces for some period of time and, as is the case for prosthetics, getting the right fit can be difficult, time-consuming and expensive.
It’s just one of those portions of the medical industry that people accept without thinking about what else is possible. If you have an injured, weakened or recovering body part, you’ll quickly be directed towards braces and orthoses (also known as orthotics). While many people wear them for just a few weeks, a significant proportion of orthotics are actually used to address long term conditions too. Muscle weaknesses, neural damage caused by a stroke, multiple sclerosis, nerve injuries, and more – orthotics are actually very frequently prescribed. A significant portion of those orthotics are going to military veterans in the US – According to the US Veterans Administration (VA), spending on those kinds of medical devices increased almost 80%, from $907M to $1.6B from 2005 to 2009, with about 1.5 million orthoses provided in 2009. And with populations aging, it is projected that up to 7.3 million US citizens could be wearing orthoses by 2020.
In short, this is thus a field that could incredibly benefit form custom-made and well-fitting wearables, and that is exactly what CYBER seeks to realize. According to Andrew Hanson and Scott Rader of Stratasys, this partnership will be working to find solutions that “leverage 3D printing and Industry 4.0 to transform the design, comfort, utility and customization of Ankle Foot Orthotics (AFO).” What’s more, they have already found funding from innovation institute America Makes.

Click here to read the full article.