A lack of timely and affordable access to essential medical supplies leads to preventable deaths and needless suffering worldwide.
The benefits of 3D printing medical supplies on demand locally are a reduced reliance on complex, fragile, slow, unreliable and expensive supply chains, shorter transport time and lower procurement and storage costs for goods, improved flexibility in the provision of products tailored to local needs and preferences, and empowerment of local communities.
Our approach differs from existing 3D printing organizations. Our portable, user-friendly 3D printing system can be operated off-grid and offline and updated by minimally trained frontline healthcare workers. This open-filament printing system uses open-source printing software and can print a range of rigid and flexible materials, including biodegradable, recycled, and biocompatible plastic. Our 3D printing system meets Health Canada and United States Food and Drug Administration standards for safety, performance, and security. Our platform’s cybersecurity features protect patient privacy, prevent hackers from targeting clinics and hospitals, permits monitoring for health and safety concerns, and ensures clinical oversight to safeguard proper use of 3D printed medical devices. Our digital library contains a range of 3D printable solutions of diagnostic, medical, surgical, and assistive devices that support frontline healthcare for vulnerable, hard to reach populations. We strive to design our 3D printable files to require no post-processing, be life-saving or life-improving, high-quality, safe, user-friendly, lower cost, and sustainable for low-resource settings.
Our solution aims to transform healthcare delivery for the:
- 5 billion people who lack access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care
- 4 billion people without access to the Internet
- 3.75 billion people who live in rural areas and who often lack access to healthcare services
- 1.1 billion people without access to electricity
- Over 1 billion people with a disability who often lack access to assistive devices
- Nearly 1 billion people who live on less than $2 per day
- Over 136 million people who require humanitarian assistance
- Over 50 million people who die from preventable and treatable conditions every year
- Astronauts on deep space missions
