News

Formlabs Form-2 3D Printer adds new capabilities.

April 14, 2017 - The Lab has recently acquired the latest 3D printer from Formlabs. The Form 2 is a stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer. Unlike the more common fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers that print from spools of plastic filament, SLA printers use an ultraviolet laser to trace a pattern, corresponding to the layers of the object to be printed, in a vat of photosensitive resin. The resin hardens where the laser touches it, forming, layer by layer, into the intended object. Unlike an FFF 3D printer, in which an object is built upwards on the build platform, the object in an SLA printer grows from the bottom of the build platform, which descends into and rises from the resin tray. This technique can produce very detailed prints.

The printer will be used for pre-op surgical planning as well as prototypingg and sensor embedding.

The Form-2: "The most advanced desktop 3D printer ever created."

Motion Analysis - Knowledge outside the clinic.

April 14, 2017 - We are continuously expanding our capabilities towards a more efficient motion analysis.

We have just acquired state of the art instrumented insoles from Moticon which will allow us to measure the pressure load on the foot, the asymmetries in weight distribution and the areas of particular pressure. Gait lines, ground contact time and jumping height will be also measured and evaluated. On top of this, muscular imbalances and hidden gait problems will

be identified.

We have also acquired the STT iSen system, a powerful hardware & software solution for objective 3D motion data capture.

Using between 1 and 17 inertial sensors the system provides real-time orientations (angles) as well as angular velocities and accelerations. Advanced algorithms (Kalman filters) overcome the usual drift problems associated with inertial sensors. Data can be easily transferred wirelessly to any computer.

Alliance with Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre.

The state-of-the-art Emergency/Trauma and Surgery Building opened in April 2014 features 80 treatments bays and 16 operating room suites.

September 22nd, 2015 - We have enter into a formal alliance with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Owned and operated by the County of Los Angeles, the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center serves as a major teaching hospital and a general acute care facility.

The Orthopaedic Clinics provide a rich and diverse educational experience in outpatient management and long-term patient follow-up care. Serving a regional population of 1.7 million residents in the southwest Los Angeles County, the Orthopaedic Clinics are highest in volume only with approximately 56,000 outpatient visits annually, averaging 4,667 patients per month. The Department also leads all surgical services in volume at approximately 4,000 cases per year. The recently renovated ORs provide the state-of-the-art facilities and are the best equipped in the western states.

The Alliance will provide a synergistic environment that will:

Increase interaction among surgeons and researchers to address unmet clinical needs.
Increase exposure of residents to the research environment providing a unique opportunity for hands on work and laboratory experience.

Increase productive, collaborative interactions among surgeons, researchers and industrial partners.

Stimulate interdisciplinary collaborative research efforts.
Provide a scientifically stimulating environment.
Increase output of intellectual property (IP).
Improve the quality of patient outcomes and satisfaction.

The Alliance will increase the international visibility and recognition of both the Harbor-UCLA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and our program.

We will work also in close collaboration with researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA Biomed).