Patent ID: 8838263

Claim:
A method for computer-controlled fabrication of a patient-specific orthotic device, said method comprising, in the order given, the steps of: identifying a body part of a patient in need of a patient-specific orthotic device comprising an embedded component selected from components for sensing, components for power, components for data storage, components for data transmission and components for electrical muscle stimulation; imaging the external contours of said body part to obtain a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud of said part; electronically manipulating said point cloud of said body part to incorporate revisions from a medical practitioner and to obtain a computer model of at least one part of said patient-specific orthotic device with the embedded component; converting data comprising said orthotic device computer model into an instruction file accommodating for the embedded component for computer-controlled layered deposition fabrication of said at least one part of said patient-specific orthotic device; and transferring said instruction file to an automated fabrication machine for direct computer-controlled fabrication of said at least one part of said patient-specific orthotic device with the embedded component on an automated fabrication machine capable of following computer instructions to create 3D surface contours.