Most have heard the phrase “Cura te ipsum”, or translated “physician, heal thyself”. The phrase is a biblical proverb referring to the notion that one should take care of their own defects and not just correct the faults of others. So how, you might ask, does 3D technology relate to this biblical phrase?
In a continuation of the theme of our recent posts, this article continues to highlight important real world applications of 3D digital technology as being applied in the medical profession. Recently, Digital Scan 3D was contacted by a practicing physician who was challenged by very interesting set of circumstances. As it turns out, the good doctor has a defect of his left hand whereby he is missing 3 of his fingers. This doctor contacted us in the hope that we could help him with a nagging issue. The hand defect itself wasn’t the issue as the doctor has overcome the physical handicap and has built a very successful practice, but rather the doctor wanted to develop a surgical glove that was tailor-made to his unique hand.
Working within the doctor’s busy schedule, Digital Scan 3D found a time to make an office visit. Upon arrival, our scan specialists set-up a laptop and a hand-held scanner in an unused examination room for the prescribed appointment with the physician. The doctor entered the room, took a seat rolled-up his sleeve and we began scanning. At Digital Scan 3D we are very accustomed and experienced in performing body scans, with a full body scan usually taking 2-3 minutes. In this instance, since we were only concerned with the wrist and hand area this scan only took about 30 seconds! With no time wasted, the doctor was able to continue with the needs of his patients. Digital Scan 3D provided the client download link the next day for the scan data of his hand. The glove manufacturer then used the scan data to create a glove that perfectly fit to the doctors unique hand shape.
While our physician friend didn’t exactly “heal thyself”, but the use of 3D technology will certainly help as he practices his profession of healing others. This project also highlights yet another the of the many applications of 3D technology and how it is applied to everyday situations.
