A startup is developing an orthopedic immobilizer, a potentially disruptive alternative to casts. It's made using 3D printing. And as if it couldn't get any more exciting, the product is also biodegradable and custom-made for the patient. And a helpful note: it takes only two hours to complete and, unlike traditional casts, is breathable, sanitizable, and waterproof.
The immobilizer is affordable for the patient: from R$ 45.
The company's name is Fix it, and the new product is the brainchild of physiotherapist Felipe Neves and biomedical scientist Hebert Costa, who explains: "It's possible to immobilize any part of the body. We just need the patient's measurements."
And he also says: “We value the importance of the professional, who is the one who will evaluate the patient's case, who will decide what the ideal mobilization is and who will also take the measurements and apply them to the patient.”
The business operates on a franchise basis: healthcare professionals purchase the 3D printer from a manufacturer that partners with the startup. They then pay the membership fee to access the digital files and print the immobilizers.
The startup sells filament, the printing material, which starts at R$1,400. The product appears to be made of plastic, but it's actually biodegradable, made from sugarcane bagasse, beets, and corn, and was developed by the entrepreneurs themselves.
Hebert explains how the material works: "It's heat-formable, so you just need to heat it. You can do this with hot water or hot air. From 60°C onwards, it becomes quite malleable, just like fabric or a sheet of paper."
The final price of this revolutionary product (for the consumer) varies depending on the size and body part to be immobilized, but the cost is affordable: starting at R$ 45. "If it's personalized, it's expensive. And we manage to be just the opposite of that: personalized and affordable, democratic," celebrates Felipe.
FIX IT
Madre Cabrini Street, 462 – Vila Mariana
Email: contato@usefix.it
Telephone: (11) 977187585
Website: https://usefix.it
Social media: https://www.facebook.com/usefixit/
https://www.instagram.com/usefixit/