The conference, organised by the Laboratory of Applied Prosocial Research (LIPA) of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the UIC Barcelona Bioengineering Institute of Technology (BIT), brought together more than 90 health and engineering professionals to showcase the of the project and discuss the role of 3D printing in improving the autonomy of people with functional diversity.

The event was led by Marc Brundelius, DEEP project coordinator and UAB researcher, who introduced the experts panel formed by Carlos Zárate, researcher for the UIC Barcelona Department of Physiotherapy; Alejandro Portela and Xavier Marimon, researchers at the UIC Barcelona Bioengineering Institute of Technology; Lluís Guirao, head of Rehabilitation Services at the University Hospital Mutua de Terrassa, and Robert Roche, psychologist and director of the UAB Laboratory of Applied Prosocial Research. All agreed on the importance of actively involving healthcare professionals and patients in designing solutions that adapt to their needs.

Next, the attendees learned first-hand about two success stories: The exoskeleton designed to facilitate neurorehabilitation and developed by the start-up company, Able Human Motion, presented by Erika Porras, head of clinical affairs; and the Flick3D project, with which Lluís Guirao demonstrated how 3D-printed prostheses can be a solution for people with partial finger amputations.

In this context, the DEEP project has focused on bringing healthcare professionals who deal with to health and disability (such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists or speech therapists) closer to the group of people living with a physical or mental disability. As the results of the project have shown that 3D printing is a tool that can provide more autonomy to people with functional diversity, since it allows healthcare professionals to design and produce pieces that help these people in their day-to-day life.

Over the course of the project, which is carried out in four countries (Spain, Italy, Czech Republic and Luxembourg), researchers from the UIC Barcelona Bioengineering Institute of Technology cooperated in training healthcare professionals in 3D design and printing programs.