SFU researchers break the mould with new prosthetic design

A new, fully customizable 3D printed socket design is set to transform the prosthetics industry.

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The reimagined limb socket interface combines highly personalized pressure mapping with AI software and a lighter infill, creating a highly customized prosthetic that’s more comfortable to wear, for much longer, say researchers at Simon Fraser University.

“For the first time, this 3D printing technology is capturing unique pressure and force distribution data from a patient, and using that data to design a custom prosthetic device and fabricate a much lighter, more breathable and pressure-responsive socket,” says Woo Soo Kim, professor at the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering and corresponding author of a new study published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics.  

Key study findings: 3D printed limb sockets with lightweight lattice infill showed

• 1,600% more energy absorption compared to solid infills when standing.
• 1,290% more energy absorption compared to solid infills when walking. 

Traditional prosthetics fittings use casts or digital scans of the residual limb to make a mould for the final socket. These moulds are very precise in terms of measurements and shape, but don’t account for individualized pressure points and force distribution unique to each person, explains Kim.

In the study, researchers embedded a silicone liner with a miniature 3D-printed pressure sensing mat with a network of origami sensors to measure pressure and force. The test patient wore the pressure mapping liner inside a temporary socket while standing, walking on a flat surface, walking down a ramp, and leaning left and right, to mimic everyday activity. 

Customized AI software translated this data into a personalized 3D-printed socket design using a custom lattice structure — a highly organized, repeating 3D pattern often found in nature and biology, like a honeycomb or the inside structure of human bone.

Lighter, breathable design improves comfort, reduces health-related complications

The study found the 3D printed socket design using a latticed Gyroid infill absorbed 1,600 per cent more energy when standing compared to a traditional solid-infill socket, and 1,290 per cent when walking.

Researchers say their new 3D printed sockets don’t just improve comfort and quality of life for prosthetics wearers, but may also reduce common complications like ulcers, pain, instability, musculoskeletal issues and osteoarthritis by absorbing more energy.

Kim says the streamlined fabrication of a pressure map liner, AI-assisted design optimization software and 3D printed socket technology are poised to revolutionize the prosthetics industry.

“We want to help local prosthetic companies better serve their clients, and make sure more comfortable, personalized prostheses are affordable and accessible to everyone who needs them,” says Kim.

Clinical practice meets emerging tech

Hodgson Group Orthotics and Prosthetics participated in the SFU-led research to help bridge clinical practice with emerging technology in a way that directly benefits people with limb loss. 

Being involved in the development and evaluation of the 3D-printed pressure-mapping system has highlighted how “data-driven design can meaningfully improve prosthetic fit, comfort, and long-term skin health—areas that have challenged our profession for decades,” says Loren Schubert, prosthetist at Hodgson Group.

“This work demonstrates how innovative, customizable, and more cost-effective solutions can reshape the future of prosthetic liners and sockets, ultimately expanding access and improving the everyday experience of patients,” adds Carl Ganzert, orthotist at Hodgson Group.