How to treat dyslexia using 3D printing?

Posted By Kat Plewa on Dec 24, 2018 | 0 comments

Every day thousands of people are diagnosed with dyslexia. Dyslexia is a very common disorder, usually, discovered at an early age. It influences only writing and reading and can be treated by specialized teachers. However, they are lacking new tools to help children develop better writing skills. Is Additive Manufacturing the solution?

3D printed device to treat dyslexia

We already talked about educational devices made with 3D printing technologies, such as Fisherman’s Guntlet or this Eating device. Now it is time to learn how to treat dyslexia with these technologies. Researchers from Dunarea de Jos University, University of Medicine and Pharmacy ‘’Grigore T Popa’’, and ‘’Gheorghe Asachi’’ Technical University of Iasi, Romania gathered their skills together to work on a 3D printed device to treat this reading-writing disorder.

Why did they choose 3D printing?

First of all, Additive Manufacturing allowed scientists to develop very complex geometries without the need for metal molds, which already brings the costs down. 3D printing was much more suited for this production, as it allowed to develop new designs, customized to fit the needs of the user.

Another benefit of using 3D technologies was the wide range of materials to choose from. Additive Manufacturing allows for production with unbelieve materials, such as cellulose or graphene. Researchers from Romania were looking for a lightweight, non-allergic, non-corrosive and non-toxic materials in different colors. The answer was found in 3D printing.

Additive Manufacturing also presented them with very quick results; each part took only 2.5 hrs to print at a minimum material waste. Thanks to those aspects, scientists brought down manufacturing costs again. 3D printing was the ideal solution for them to develop the best prototype of this device.

How does the device work?

The 3D printed tool to treat dyslexia has a trapezoidal prism-shaped casting with two viewing windows. The windows are placed apart from each other at different distances. It is built of discs with letters, words and graphical representations on them. They are organized in groups on the rollers.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/444/3/032013/pdf

The object was designed in Catia, 3D modeling software which allowed scientists to achieve the highly detailed design. Additive Manufacturing was the perfect choice for this project as it gave the researchers the freedom to create the architecture of the design which normally would not be achievable.

Do you have a 3D printed project in mind? Don’t wait any longer and start 3D printing with us! Our online 3D printing service provides you with 3D modeling software tutorials, consulting Design Studio and the best Additive Manufacturing solutions for your production. Simply upload your 3D model to our website and improve your production today!

Stay on top of your game with our 3D printing Newsletter and follow us on Facebook for the latest news!