Due to the reduced cost of and extreme customization offered by 3D printing, additively manufactured artificial limbs stand to revolutionize the prosthetic industry completely. In April, 
After a hit-and-run accident in the winter of 2013, Natasha lost the lower half of her left leg. While such an incident may have left many to feel overwhelmed with loss, the 
Thinking Robot’s Kendall Joudrie, who describes the story in greater depth at 3DS, immediately set about pulling together the appropriate team, saying, “We knew that 3D printing and scanning was the only way to do this quickly and accurately.” He contacted Mike Fanning, CEO of 3D Systems reseller 
Joudrie explains that the team only had 7 days to get their model to NovaCAD, who, then handed off the CAD limb to the 3D Systems team in Andover, Massachusetts to have it printed. With every part of the team hard at work, they were able to turn it around just in time for the 3D printer manufacturer to 3D print the leg on a 
I’ve hardly done the project justice here, so I encourage you to read the case study for more specific details and to watch the video below, aptly titled “A Leg that Fits”. In it, you’ll hear great insights from every person involved as to how amazing this endeavor actually is.
