Paediatric Ankle-Foot Orthosis (AFO)

A 3D-printed prototype paediatric ankle-foot orthosis (AFO), the kind of brace worn to support a child’s foot and ankle. We developed it as a flexible TPU shell that wraps the heel and instep, softened with foam padding and closed with two Velcro straps, so it holds securely while staying comfortable against the skin.

How we made it

The shell is FDM 3D-printed in flexible TPU, chosen so the orthosis flexes with movement instead of cracking like a rigid print, while still holding the foot in position. We printed it to follow the contours of the foot and ankle, added foam along the edges that meet the skin, and fitted Velcro straps across the instep and ankle for a quick, adjustable fit.

Producing it in-house let us iterate the fit fast, printing, checking and adjusting the geometry until the brace sat right, which is the advantage of developing a wearable product with 3D printing rather than traditional moulding.

See it in the round