Thanks to 3D printing technology, truly innovative developments are being made within the sphere of medical and health solutions for consumers living with disabilities. A case in point: Materialise and LayerLAB’s GO made-to-measure 3D-printed consumer wheelchair, a biometrically bespoke mobility solution that replaces the ungainly heft of the traditional wheelchair for a lightweight and nimble design fit to the user’s bodily dimensions, specific disability, and lifestyle.
Designed in collaboration with Layer/Benjamin Hubert and Materialise, the GO was the result of two years of research, a wheelchair designed with a 3D-printed resin seat and TPU suspension sitting upon an aluminum insert and rolling on uniquely spoke design wheels. The design is beautifully modern and sculptural, but not necessarily a solution born out of decoration, but rather one reflecting the LayerLAB’s goal of incorporating user biometric information to provide an ergonomic experience fitting an individual’s body shape, weight and disability to reduce injury and increase comfort, flexibility, and support.
From Benjamin Hubert:
It’s not about decoration, it’s about imitating complex forms in the human body. Like creating a second skin with more synergy than medical designs from the past. Solving issues like comfort and the injuries that are experienced by the users of medical products.