Limb-Cycle: AI-Enabled Affordable Prosthetic Sockets from Recycled Plastic Waste
Funded by Royal Academy of Engineering, UK
(December 2025- December 2026)
Limb-Cycle is a Royal Academy of Engineering-funded project led by Kathmandu University to develop affordable, custom-fit prosthetic sockets for people in Nepal and other low-resource settings. The project combines AI-assisted socket design with 3D printing and locally recycled polypropylene waste. Working with academic, clinical, software, and manufacturing partners, the team will develop and test socket-design software, recycled filament, and prosthetic prototypes. The project aims to reduce production costs, minimize plastic waste, and strengthen local capacity in inclusive assistive-technology innovation.
Project Objectives
- AI-assisted software prototype for prosthetic-socket design using recycled polypropylene, reducing manual fabrication dependence while improving fit, comfort, and usability
- Material and mechanical validation of recycled polypropylene sockets to ensure structural and clinical viability, paired with cost reduction and circular-economy practices through material reuse
- Clinical and user-centered evaluation, local capacity building, and inclusive innovation to improve accessibility and production efficiency in prosthetic care
Description
Since December 2025, the Limb-Cycle team has built an integrated digital workflow for producing affordable, patient-specific prosthetic sockets-combining AI-assisted socket design software, 3D scanning, and 3D printing with filament made from recycled polypropylene waste. Early prototypes have been fitted and tested with patients, structural sockets have passed proof-strength testing up to 4,480 N, and the team continues refining filament quality and the AI design workflow toward broader clinical validation.
Application Interface
Project Team
