Undergraduate students in an international biomimetic program participated in an interdisciplinary course that addressed real-world O&P rehabilitation challenges using additive manufacturing.
In a paper about the course, offered at Westfälische Hochschule, Germany, in collaboration with the 3D Orthotics and Prosthetics Laboratory at the Federal University of São Paulo—UNIFESP (Brazil), the educators described the methods and developments that came from the course. They wrote that integrating bioinspired design and additive manufacturing into engineering education fosters innovation to meet the growing demand for accessible, personalized assistive technologies.
The course combined theoretical and hands-on modules covering digital modeling (CAD), simulation (CAE), and fabrication (CAM), enabling students to develop bioinspired assistive devices through a project-based learning approach.
Resulting prototypes included a hand prosthesis based on the Fin Ray effect, a modular finger prosthesis inspired by tendon-muscle antagonism, and a cervical orthosis designed based on stingray morphology. Each device was digitally modeled, mechanically analyzed, and physically fabricated using open-source and low-cost methods.
The initiative illustrated how biomimetic mechanisms and design can be integrated into education to generate functional outcomes and socially impactful health technologies. Grounded in the Mao3D open-source methodology, this experience demonstrated the value of combining nature-inspired principles, digital fabrication, design thinking, and international collaboration to advance inclusive, low-cost innovations in assistive technology, the paper’s authors wrote.
The open-access paper, “Teaching bioinspired design for assistive technologies using additive manufacturing: A collaborative experience,” was published in Biomimetics.
