AI enables personalized finger joint implants from a 3D printer

The remobilization of finger joints that have been damaged by illness or injury is an emerging market in the field of demand-driven patient care. The FingerKIt consortium, which brings together five Fraunhofer institutes, uses AI to develop personalized 3D-printed joint implants so that these delicate finger parts can be replaced when necessary. When finger joints become inflexible, after a sports accident or as a result of rheumatoid arthritis for example, it can put serious limitations on someone’s life and cause them physical and mental strain. For certain professions — such as musicians, surgeons or craftspeople — it can even mean the end of their career. In the future, a solution developed by the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies IAPT, the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM and the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS could help to restore the mobility of fingers with damaged or ruined joints.