Design of low-cost

prosthetic limb
ENGG*6090 (03) W22: ST: Communication in Engineering
Presented by: Ashishkumar Vadhavani (1127533)
Instructor: Dr. Don Moore
Project description and overview

Design of low-cost prosthetic limb

Under ENGG*6090 Applied Engineering Design 1
Instructed by: Dr. Ping Wu
Duration: 4 months
Deliverable: Design and simulation
Category: Biomedical engineering
Introduction

• Prosthetic limbs are useful devices for people who are born without functional limbs
or lose them due to any unfortunate incident.
• They are useful to perform bodily movement like walking, running, grabbing things
etc.
• Prosthetic limbs come in various shape and designs based on the requirement of the
consumer.
• They are classified into transradial, transhumeral, transtibial, and transfemoral
prosthetics.
Situation analysis
• The price of upper and lower prosthetic limbs currently available in the
international market can range anywhere between US$4000 to US$10,000.
• It can vary on the type of attachment used. For mechanical and pneumatic
system, the price can range anywhere from US$20,000 to US$40,000.
• In many countries the cost is not covered by Health insurance companies
as the cost can be high.
• Furthermore, the time taken to manufacture prosthetic limb involves
several stages of manufacturing and alteration. This can be anywhere
between 45 to 60 days incase of children and adolescents.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Having prosthetic in children is a
costly and uncomfortable affair.

They grow quickly and thus

replacements are needed at
every six month.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

Project scope

The project is expected to propose an alternative manufacturing process for prosthetic limb and
here the focus is to reduce the cost of its production.

To get the desired output from the project, we will study different manufacturing processes like
additive manufacturing, casting, and molding.

The research part can be done by examine different literature available related to the subject.

Design of prosthetic limb using CAD software will carry out to get better idea for production
processes.

After the selecting best manufacturing process final project report will be deliver along with the
presentation
Design Solution
• The design solution proposed in our research is unique in comparison
to solutions provided in previous works.
• Our design used 3D scanning and printing of prosthetic limb which
makes it a cost efficient and fast-paced process.
• The first step involves creating a surface model of the residual limb.
This is done using a 3D scanner which is available in the market with
base price of roughly US$100.
Design Solution
Then, Autodesk mesh mixer software is used to improve the surface
topology of the scanned limb. This will help us get better result in 3d
printed part.
The surface model is then provided with a thickness of 4mm in
Autodesk fusion 360 software and made ready to be print using a
commercial 3D printer.
Analysis of the design is done using Ansys software where static load
is applied to identify the force distribution and its performance in
real life.
Analysis

• The force analysis of the designed

prosthetic limb was done in Ansys
software.
• Figure below shows the load
distribution when the part is
subjected to a static tensile load.
• Simulation under dynamic load was
not possible because of time and
resource constraints.
 Time taken for
Component/process Cost process

Cost analysis 3d scanner/ing

Mesh mixing
USD 300

0
15 minutes

20-24 hours
• Making prosthetic limb uses 3D Fusion 360 0 20-24 hours
scanning and printing is relatively
cheaper when made using mass 3D printing/printer USD 5000- 23-24 vhours
production technique. 15000

• The cost breakdown is given as

follows:
References
1. https://www.scheckandsiress.com/blog/types-of-prosthetics/
2. Vijayan, Arun Kumar, Gautham, S. and Mohamed Mast, "Design and
analysis of prosthetic foot using additive manufacturing technique,"
Materials Today , vol. 37, p. 1665–1671, 2021.
3. M. Singh and S. Jonnalagadda, "Advances in bioprinting using
additive manufacturing," European Journal Of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, vol. 143, 2020.