BabySteps

Researchers at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. worked with Ebatinca on a new method for treating clubfoot in newborns. Traditionally, plaster is applied manually on the feet to do a small correction, which then are cut off with a saw and a new set is put on, repeated several times. This process is subjective, relies on the experience and dexterity of the clinician, makes numerous personal visits necessary, and the saw may hurt the feet themselves. Instead a series of automatically generated meshes are 3D printed and sent to the patient’s parents, who can apply the treatment at home, completely safely.