Vytruve is a 3D prosthetic sockets solution provider based in France. They utilize 3D scanning and 3D printing, offering contactless measurements and 1-day turnaround. SHINING 3D sat down with Erwan Calvier, founder and president of Vytruve, to learn more about this workflow.

  • Name: Vytruve
  • Location: Rennes, France
  • Product: End-to-end 3D prosthetics solution
  • Solutions: SHINING 3D EinScan H2 and SDK, custom design platform

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Introduction

Erwan Calvier has been working as a prosthetist for over 10 years. He is currently the director of OPR (Orthèse Prothèse Réeducation), a medical center dedicated to providing rehabilitation services to amputees.

Drawing from personal frustrations with traditional prosthetic production, he founded Vytruve in 2021. His mission is to eliminate time-consuming and uncomfortable plaster-based processes.

Vytruve thus offers a streamlined, end-to-end alternative encompassing:

  • – A comprehensive hardware setup, featuring the EinScan H2 3D scanner
  • – 3D socket design software, which enables 10-minute socket design in a few clicks
  • – A 3D printing service for the sockets, boasting a 48-hour lead time (Vytruve also sells special-made 3D printers for clinics desiring in-house printing capabilities.)

Challenges in traditional prosthetics production

To better comprehend the value that Vytruve offers, Erwan explains that it’s important to first get a general idea of how prosthetists work.

A prosthetist deals with two types of elements: “generic elements”, which are the actual prosthesis and connecting components, and the unique “socket”.

The socket is the most important part of the equipment, as it “needs to fit perfectly to the patient’s stump to allow for safe and efficient walking”, Erwan adds. It’s not something that can be mass-produced.

And producing a single socket is a long and manual process. It involves numerous steps:

  1. Molding the patient’s stump with plaster
  2. Creating a counter-mold with plaster
  3. Manually adjusting the plaster’s shape to optimize the fit
  4. Thermoforming a plastic plate with the plaster mold
  5. Cutting and sanding the plastic plate
  6. Assembling it with the generic elements

This tedious and labor-intensive process is what Vytruve aims to eliminate with the help of 3D scanning, 3D printing, and design software.

Going digital: 3D prosthetic sockets with Vytruve and SHINING 3D

Vytruve’s solution eliminates plaster, replacing it with non-contact 3D scanning and digital design. This approach enables prosthetists to produce sockets faster and with an equal or superior fit. It also frees up valuable time for prosthetists, who can focus more on their patients.

The first step in this digital process is 3D scanning. Erwan and his team rely on SHINING 3D’s EinScan H Series, “which we believe is the perfect 3D color scanner for the job,” he said.

After using the “robust and reliable” EinScan H for two years, they upgraded to the EinScan H2.

This 3D scanning solution addresses Vytruve’s four main needs:

  • Color capture: Prosthetists draw marks on the stump to indicate bone marks, axes, and the socket’s trimline. Hence, it’s important for them to retrieve this information in the resulting 3D scan. The EinScan H2’s 5MP camera handles this effortlessly.
  • Movement compensation: Even the slightest movements can throw off a 3D scanner’s measurements. The EinScan H2’s software, engineered with 3D body scanning in mind, has a built-in “movement compensation” algorithm. Patients can move slightly without degrading scan quality.
  • High accuracy: A prosthetist’s goal is to provide the most comfortable socket to their patients, who will be wearing the socket daily. With the EinScan H2, you can achieve an accuracy of up to 0.05mm and export meshes with 0.2mm resolution.
  • Portability and flexibility: Erwan needed a solution that was easy to install and use in different contexts. He mentioned having used the scanner “at the hospital, at the patient’s home or even in their car.” The EinScan H2 comes in a practical carry case and can be set up in minutes.

In short, 3D scanning is an excellent alternative to plaster molding. A complete scan takes around 10 minutes, while plaster molding involves several hours of work.

It’s a faster and more comfortable process, both for patients and prosthetists. Plus, with more accurate scans and designs from the start, they spend less time adjusting the socket.

All-in-one software for 3D scanning and designing

As Erwan explained, his goal when creating Vytruve was to make the process as simple as possible. Vytruve provides an all-in-one software solution integrating both the 3D scanning and designing parts of the process.

When it comes to 3D scanning, there are numerous options and modes. But prosthetists always use the same settings, so Erwan’s team used the EinScan H2 SDK (software development kit) to develop a custom, pre-configured interface. This way, prosthetists aren’t distracted by buttons and menus that they’ll never need to use.

On the design side, Vytruve’s user-friendly app hosts a library of over 120 socket design references. Prosthetists can select a suitable reference (e.g., knee, elbow, wrist) and tailor it to their patient. They can customize these references with intuitive design tools, even without extensive 3D design knowledge.

Once the 3D socket model is ready, operators can send it to Vytruve for 3D printing or utilize their own in-house 3D printer.

Vytruve’s solution includes many other benefits and features– you can find more information on their website.

Conclusion

Vytruve’s end-to-end 3D prosthetic sockets solution is a game-changer in the world of prosthetics. Their streamlined workflow, which utilizes 3D scanning, design software, and 3D printing, eliminates the need for time-consuming and uncomfortable plaster molding.

With the help of SHINING 3D’s EinScan H2 scanner, Vytruve can produce prosthetic sockets faster and with an equal or better fit than traditionally made ones. Their all-in-one software solution simplifies the process even further, making it easy for prosthetists to create customized sockets with limited 3D design knowledge.

Overall, Vytruve’s 3D prosthetic sockets have the potential to make a significant impact on the lives of amputees, providing them with more comfortable and better-fitting prosthetics.

Interested in leveraging the EinScan H2’s features and SDK for your own application? Contact our experts for a free consultation today.