Enhancing Mobility for elderly stroke survivors using 3D printed custom made ankle foot orthotics.

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There are over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK with approximately 60% aged 65 years or over. One of the disabilities that they have, is lower limb weakness, which reduces their mobility significantly. Ankle foot orthotics (AFOs) provided by the NHS help manage the symptom. However, there is a 4 -12 weeks wait before they can receive a custom-made AFO, which is clinically more effective than off-the-shelf AFOs. This is because of the process used, to capture the shape of the ankle-foot (Plaster casting - Labour-intensive) and then to manufacture the AFO (Moulding - Labour-intensive), is time consuming. Furthermore, the material used for the AFOs are plastic-based which destroys the environment. The proposed idea is to recruit elderly stroke patients, assess their needs with respect to mobility and make a priority list of those needs. Then, their ankle-foot section will be 3D scanned which is an automated shape-capture process. This is currently done by <3% of NHS Trusts. The resulting custom designed AFO will then be 3D printed, which is an automated manufacturing process, using a zero-carbon material made from castor oil. The wait time to receive an AFO will be reduced to <5days. The aim of this work is to increase the mobility of elderly stroke patients at the earliest time possible. This will enhance the quality of life of those patients, both physically and mentally. Below is an illustrative summary.