Using Fusion 360 to Design Patient-Specific Prosthetic and Orthotic Devices

Nonprofit Victoria Hand Project (VHP) has a mission to provide low-cost orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) devices to resource-poor areas of the world. VHP’s in-country clinical partners previously used premade models to make custom O&P devices for 3D printing, but were limited in sizing and customizability. Many health-care providers have no experience using CAD tools, so creating custom devices in Fusion 360 software can be difficult. VHP created software that uses the Fusion 360 API to develop custom prosthetic arm sockets and orthotic braces for scoliosis. Health-care providers enter a patient’s anatomical measurements into the software, which are then custom-sized in a parametric Fusion 360 model. The software gives clinicians the ability to create patient-specific devices that fit more comfortably and function better. This case study presents how VHP created a UI and Fusion 360 add-in to enable nontechnical users to design and print custom O&P devices.