For an amputee, losing a limb is only part of the problem they must face with the passage of time. When something on the outside is lost, the confidence and dignity from within also begin to fade and wane. That is why industrial designer Scott Summit and orthopedic surgeon Kenneth Trauner founded Bespoke Innovations.
The company creates unique prosthetic limbs for its customers called Fairings, which are designed by the user. The Fairings act as a cover that are placed over existing prosthetic limbs and give them a more unique and artful look. These prosthetic limbs are just as much works of art as they are functional extensions of the body. Using 3-D scanning, the original limb which is the user’s flesh and blood is scanned and then super imposed to make the artificial limb, providing a greater amount of symmetry than conventional prosthetic limbs. Once the scanned image has been set, the users can decide how they want it to look, what material they want it to be made from and which tattoos they want on the limb. Once the design has been set, the limbs are printed using a 3-D printer which produces the user’s desired and unique new limb.
The limb is exactly as per the user’s specifications in terms of design and function. With costs between $4,000 and $6,000, the Fairings are not that expensive when you take into account the confidence and sense of pride that they provide the user with. Currently, the team at Bespoke Innovations is working on a way to allow user to design their limbs using their website. This is the first step towards personalization in the medical industry, making it easier for amputees to face the world. More examples of different Fairings are shown below.
