Swiss Motion Technologies’ 3D printed silicone sleeves get FIT boost

Thanks to its automated manufacturing solution for improving disabled people’s mobility, Vaud-based start-up Swiss Motion Technologies was awarded a CHF 500’000 loan from the FIT, enabling the company to go even further in the development of its unique technology.

Leg prostheses are often uncomfortable and ill-fitting or very expensive if tailor-made. The fault lies with the lining, a silicone sock worn between the leg and the hard shell into which the patient inserts his residual limb. This is an essential interface that absorbs the shocks of walking and distributes the pressure over the surface of the limb.

However, today, almost 90% of patients are wearing prostheses with non-optimal linings, which hinder their mobility and limit their personal freedom. 

Swiss Motion Technologies has decided to tackle this problem with a completely new cutting-edge technology based on a 3D scanner. The data captured by the scanner is fed into a 3D printer to produce a silicone sleeve to the exact measurements of the patient.

With this innovation, the start-up based in Renens (canton of Vaud) aims to offer prosthetic technicians an unprecedented method of providing their patients with a liner regardless of the current limitations in costs or effort.

Innovation to support disabled people 

On a larger scale, this process will allow the tailoring of silicone to any part of the human body. The start-up has received a considerable amount of backing, in particular from FIT on two occasions – now supplemented by the Tech Growth loan of CHF 500’000 – but also from VentureKick, Genilem and the HES-SO innovation prize, to name but a few. 

This new Tech Growth loan of CHF 500’000 from FIT will enable Swiss Motion Technologies to recruit developers, buy production machines, register patents and advance R&D, as well as rent offices.