I had the privilege of attending this year’s AAOP annual meeting in Nashville, TN on behalf of Open Bionics.  I was excited to continue to introduce the Hero Arm to clinicians throughout the USA.  The continuing goal of this conference was for us to continue to break down barriers in the O&P field around 3D printing and champion how new digital tools can improve the workflow for clinicians. The digital process we use at Open Bionics saves clinician and technician time, saves money for the patient, and delivers a device patients love right out of the box.  

Having participated in these conferences from all sides; student, clinician, and clinical specialist with a manufacturer, I am very happy to see that over the last few years there has been a significant rise in the presence of 3D printing in our field, and the willingness of clinicians to adopt new tools that bring advantages to their patients. 

This is the first symposium that we were able to host an in person clinical training for prosthetists who attended our lecture on the Hero Arm.  We were happy to see a room full of clinicians, residents, and students eager to learn about the Hero Arm and how it can be added to their arsenal of upper limb devices.  

Our training session gave us a very positive outlook on the changes we are seeing to the field revolving around 3D printing and preconceived notions. The room full of clinicians demonstrated an excitement towards learning about the Hero Arm and integrating a full 3D printed device into their clinical practice. Clinicians were eager to ask questions and learn how to take advantage of new digital processes for their clinics. 

When asked for overall feedback or areas of interest after the training, the feedback provided was entirely positive and many were inquiring about the ability to 3D print check sockets, or even have us 3D print them to provide a more accurate clinical assessment in the test socket phase. We are super excited to work with these clinicians to bring them up to speed on the latest advantages the digital process can bring to their clinical practice. 

We were excited to walk around the AAOP exhibit hall and see more 3D printed options and digital workflows being used.  

With digital workflows, and 3D printing on the rise, Open Bionics is excited for the future of not only the hero Arm, but the field of O&P as a whole.  The industry is forever changing, and keeping a flexible mindset on new technology will help to further the field of O&P in the medical industry, and provide more accessible options for our patients at scale.