3-D Printing Emerges as a Powerful Technology in the World of Disability

The following blog post was written by Ann Marie Rohaly – Director of Accessibility Policy and Standards at Microsoft. She has a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering and has worked in this area of the technology sector since 2009.

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When I think about what led me into the emerging field of biomedical engineering many years ago, a couple things come to mind: Watching “The Bionic Woman” on television as a kid and my keen interest in the workings of the human body.

I certainly don’t think about 3-D printing. When I studied electrical engineering, anatomy and physiology in school, 3-D printing was in its earliest stages. No one in medicine or biomedical engineering knew about the technology at the time because it was originally developed for industrial manufacturing.

Today, thanks to the maturation of 3-D printing and its drop in price, people around the world are able to use the technology for a wide range of innovative and inspiring applications. A South African carpenter teamed up with an American costume designer, for example, to produce low-cost prosthetic hands. At the University of Michigan, professors designed a splint that saved a baby’s life.

Read more about the incredible impact 3-D printing is having on people’s lives: