Community Prosthetic Fitting Initiative: Design Refinement Discussion

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Community Prosthetic Fitting Initiative — Design Refinement Coordination

Overview

We are organizing a community prosthetic fitting initiative in the Boston/Cambridge/Somerville, MA area to bring together engineers, clinicians, and volunteers around open-source prosthetic design refinement and hands-on fitting work. This issue is being opened to coordinate design refinement discussions and identify ways our community can contribute to existing open-source prosthetic projects.

Clinical Trial Landscape Analysis

Our review of current prosthetic clinical trials on ClinicalTrials.gov reveals:

• 2,169 total prosthetic-related studies currently active or recently completed
• Active sponsor breakdown:
  • OTHER (non-profit/government/other): 1,664 studies — the largest segment, indicating strong academic/community-driven research
  • INDUSTRY: 381 studies — commercial device development
  • FED/NIH: 54 studies — federally funded research (mostly at major institutions)
• Phase distribution: Most studies are in early/no-phase stages (PHASE1: 35, PHASE2: 78, PHASE3: 70, PHASE4: 91), suggesting the field is still in active development with many novel designs being tested
• Key takeaway: The community/non-profit segment dominates, creating a significant opportunity for open-source collaboration to complement clinical research

Open-Source Prosthetic Projects We're Engaging With

1. OpenBionics/Prosthetic-Hands — Affordable (<$200), <300g parametric prosthetic hand designs with 178⭐ and 57 forks
2. gradientspace/geometry3Sharp — C# geometry library powering NiaFit (3D-printed prosthetic/orthotic design) and OrthoVR projects
3. abel-research/ampscan — Python package for prosthetics & orthotics surface scan analysis (MIT license, 25⭐)
4. cheapjack/buildyourown — DoES Liverpool community 3D-printed RaptorHand / e-NABLE projects with co-design experience
5. 6165-MSET-Cuttlefish/Gripper-Kwawu — OpenSCAD prosthetic gripper/arm remix with silicon grip improvements
6. Soichi-Tamashiro/3D-PRINTER-soichi — 3D printed electronic prosthetic limb with donation/education mission

Design Refinement Discussion Topics

We propose discussing:

• Standardizing socket fitting protocols for 3D-printed sockets
• Improving parametric CAD models for diverse patient anatomies
• Surface scan workflows for personalized prosthetic design (leveraging ampscan)
• Material selection and durability testing for community-fabricated devices
• Volunteer training protocols for prosthetic fitting assistants
• Integration of sensor/actuator options for myoelectric control at community scale
• Quality assurance and safety standards for community-produced devices

Volunteer Coordination

Volunteers are based across three hubs:

• Boston (downtown, near Dickens Wharf/MGH area)
• Cambridge (Kendall Square / MIT area)
• Somerville (Union Square area)

Action Items

• Schedule a design refinement meeting at a central accessible venue
• Identify engineers from the open-source prosthetic community to lead technical discussions
• Define a first sprint scope for design improvements
• Set up a communication channel (Discord/Gitter) for ongoing coordination
• Plan community fitting event logistics

Related Projects & Resources

• e-NABLE (enablingthefuture.org) — Upper limb prosthetic community
• OpenBionics (openbionics.org) — Open-source prosthetic hands
• Nia Technologies (niatech.org) — 3D-printed prosthetic/orthotic design
• Gradientspace (gradientspace.com) — Geometric computing for prosthetics
• ampscan (ampscan.readthedocs.io) — Surface scan analysis for P&O

Engineers and contributors, please respond with your availability, area of expertise, and interest in specific design refinement topics!