3D printed prosthetic limbs for Syrian amputees

How a 3D printing laboratory, donated to the University of Damascus by AMAR, WASP & Arche 3D, is teaching students and teachers to give relief to victims of war

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At first, the little Syrian boy seemed perplexed. Perhaps not fully understanding what was happening. Then, when the coloured, artificial limb was attached to him, in place of his missing right forearm, Yasser Al Khaled's face lit up with joy.

This is one of the first 3D printed prostheses in the laboratory that the association comprising of AMAR, WASP and Arche 3D donated to the University of Damascus.

"Who knows”, said Massimo Moretti, CEO of WASP, “Maybe that child lost his arm just because of an Italian anti-personnel mine. Now he knows that not only weapons are produced in Italy.”

Let's take a step back. More than year ago Jean Bassmaji, a Syrian cardiologist who has been living in Reggio Emilia for several years arrived at  WASP headquarters together with Carlo Masgoutiere from Arche 3D. The two men had a very special request.

Jean is the founder of AMAR, an association that he created to help the people of Syria plagued by eight long years of civil war. He learned that among WASP products there is the Digital Orthopaedic Laboratory. He approached WASP to ask for a discount on the purchase of the Laboratory to install in Syria. Jean was amazed and touched when Moretti, in a rush, offered to donate the whole fully equipped Orthopaedic Laboratory free of charge to the University of Damascus. The offer includes both the printers and the training necessary to realise prosthesis.

This initial meeting was followed by a flourish of activity; to produce, deliver and install the laboratory in the Syrian capital. Making contact with the University of Damascus was the easy part. The obstacles which confronted the team were manifold. For example, creating the proper conditions to have the machines safely shipped to Syria, was a large problem in itself.

Meanwhile Professor Firas Al-Hinnawy (Faculty of Medical Bioengineering - University of Damascus), was at the WASP headquarters in Italy to attend a training course that allowed him to learn how to best use 3D printers, and then transfer that knowledge to his students .

And now jumping forward to today, there is a fully set up Delta WASP 4070 Industrial and a Delta WASP 2040 PRO.These 3D printers, along with the scanner, PC, monitor and some technical materials comprise the laboratory equipment at the university campus in Damascus. Here, the staff work to give relief to hundreds of an estimated 50,000 people who have been mutilated in the course of the country’s brutal civil war. The prostheses are made using the open source files of the e-NABLE project.

Together with Jean Bassmaji, Carlo Masgoutiere went to Syria for about ten days and to give further training to students and professors. Carlo returned enthusiastically: "There is great excitement - we were welcomed with all the honours. Now the goal is to train as many people as possible and make more and more sophisticated prostheses. The exchange of knowledge is virtuous. For example, a Syrian girl has already developed a system with ten movements, which are stored on the existing arm and transferred to the mutilated part”.

"The two bases of the bridge have been laid,” adds Massimo Moretti. “Now groups of people so far apart can give shape to the same thoughts. What is planned in Damascus can materialise in Italy and vice versa, without the problems of borders and checkpoints".

"Finally, our dream has become reality," says Jean Bassmaji enthusiastically. "The Orthopaedic laboratory for Syrian amputees has been installed at the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in Damascus. Here about ten students (mostly women) and four teachers are working every day. In Syria we found a country exhausted after eight years of war, yet also tenacious and full of hope. The people are friendly and hospitable. But our work is certainly not finished yet: the laboratory must grow and become more and more a scientific reference point, as well as a human goal".

"Thanks are due to all who have concretely supported the AMAR, WASP and Arche 3D project. In particular, the Boorea social cooperative, the Reggio Emilia’s Arci circles, the artist Sergio Fermariello and many citizens from Reggio Emilia, Chieti, Mantua, Naples and Lauria (Potenza)".

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