The coronavirus pandemic and the correlated close contact restrictions have intensified interest in digital solutions. Normally, an orthopedic technician doesn't always have time throughout the workday to test the latest innovations, gain experience and put them through their paces to determine if they should be integrated into the typical workflow. That has changed over the past year. "It was evident that orthopedic technicians took the time to consider digital alternatives," says Fröhlingsdorf. He adds that "working remotely is great, but nobody has a plaster room in their home." Orthotics typically means the technician creates a plaster casting of the respective body part to physically manufacture an orthotic at the workshop before he or she adjusts the device ahead of the final fit check.
The digital workshop has yet another advantage amid the pandemic: All that is needed is a 3D scan instead of a plaster cast. This relaxes the direct, close contact with the customer. All further steps of the orthosis production up to the final fitting or delivery – potential (posture) corrections and model creation including the final design – can easily be done digitally from anywhere thanks to MSP or iFab. All it takes is a computer and an internet connection. Uploading the 3D scan to downloading the finished 3D print file takes less time than creating a plaster casting and manufacturing the device in the physical workshop. The time that the orthotic blank takes to print can be invested in fitting more patients and thus the technician's expertise can be used even more effectively.
What's more, you can create unlimited additional copies of a digital orthosis and make adjustments at any time. This also means less physical waste. Digital manufacturing saves both time – which benefits the patient – and material, making it yet another incentive for embracing the digital workbench.
"Orthopedic technicians will gradually get over their fear of digitization as they learn to appreciate its advantages. It is one reason we at Mecuris focus on usability and ease of use as this helps to overcome resistance and skepticism toward using software," Peter Fröhlingsdorf is confident. So far, Mecuris has always had a nose for success. The Ottobock Company is also certain that digitization will change the way orthopedic technicians do their job in the future: "The job's mechanical component will continue to be relevant. However, it is switching over from purely analog processes such as plaster casting to digital processes such as modeling the patient scan on the computer," Hohlfeld shares his confident outlook for the future.