Technology vs. Craftsmanship By Ryan Robinson, Photo credit Ryan Robinson I once had a student quit his studies after he found out that the career he was seeking in Pedorthics wasn’t completely “digital”. He was aghast when, as part of his term in “fabrication”, I was teaching him how to use an oven and vacuum press to heat and form orthopaedic materials over a patient’s cast to create a unique device for them. His response: “don’t we have computers that can do this?”...then he promptly dropped his lab coat and stormed off. I’ll never forget good ol’ whatshisname. The answer to his question is, indeed, “yes”. From casting to manufacture, the process of creating a custom foot orthosis (“orthotic”) can be completely automated. The use of scanning
the orthotics industry. But here’s the better question: “Does this new technology mean that the devices are superior?” Here’s the truthful answer: “No”. Now, before you go calling me a dinosaur that simply can’t adapt and wants to go back to the good old days before electricity, let me give you some background. I have, in fact, been around the world researching emerging orthotic technology. I have even lectured across Canada, the US, and Europe on the topic. I have used various 3D scanners (and still do), I have used various CAD programs for the design of the orthoses, and I have used CNC manufacture and tried 3D printing. Digital technology is great for repeatability and consistency. If you lose your device, it is easy to remake a new one using your saved file. However, through my experience, I have learned that it is still: “Garbage in, Garbage out.” I find that far too often we rely on technology to do our jobs for us. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. The use of technology is a “tool” like any other. It will not make up for a lack of knowledge, casting skill, and production knowledge. Simply put, no amount of technology will correct for a bad cast/scan and certainly not for a bad assessment. If you don’t know what you’re doing, by extension, you don’t know what is required of the custom device in order to realize the ultimate goal. It doesn’t matter how fancy the image on the screen looks.
technology to render a 3D image of the foot has been around for some time. CAD/CAM (Computer Assisted Design and Manufacture) programs have also long been used along with CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines to create devices. And, over the last few years, 3D printing has been utilized in
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