Engineers Create A Breathable And Waterproof Cast To Replace Plaster Ones And Stop The Itching Forever
Most people fall into one of two categories. Those of us who have fragile bones that seem to break every time we have a small accident and those of us who seem to have bones of steel and bounce back from every nasty misfortune.
However, as some of us know, breaking an arm or a leg is a horrible experience. Because of the constant pain, as well as the discomfort of having to wear a plaster cast.
A group of engineers based in Chicago decided to make the lives of people who break their arms a bit easier and came up with a new design for a cast. It’s even waterproof, so no more having to shower with a trash bag over your cast! Scroll down for Bored Panda’s interview with representatives of the Cast21 company that makes the new type of cast.
We know breaking your bones can be difficult, so after you read this post, check out our previous articles about a hamster with a tiny cast for its broken arm, creative cast art, as well as a person who made his cast look like Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet.
More info: Cast21.com | Facebook | Instagram
Engineers from Chicago came up with a new type of arm cast
Image credits: cast21official
Image credits: cast21official
A Chicago startup called Cast21 looked into the problems of plaster casts and tackled them head-on. Jason Troutner, biomedical design engineer Ashley Moy, and electrical engineer Justin Brooks, all from the University of Illinois, came up with a breathable, more hygienic, waterproof cast that can be fitted in around 10 minutes, using liquid resin that hardens and sets the bone in place.
Bored Panda talked to representatives of Cast21 to learn more about the product. One of the people representing the company had this to say: “One of the greatest challenges, and also greatest thrills, we face during our design and engineering process is developing something completely new that no one has ever seen or worked with before. It’s an interesting balance of fun and frustrating that isn’t for everyone, but we love it.”
The cast is waterproof and more hygienic
Image credits: cast21official
Image credits: cast21official
“In my opinion, with a traditional cast or brace, the worst part of breaking an arm would be the smell after weeks of treatment. How embarrassing! Otherwise, I would imagine the pain from the break itself would be the biggest downside of breaking an arm,” they said.
The company rep also revealed that Cast 21 plant on “expanding into more territories and developing different product lines to help even more doctors and patients.”
“The doctors and patients we work with are amazing. Our clinician partners are so dedicated to providing their patients with the best care possible, and their dedication shows in the smiles of their grateful patients. It’s an incredibly motivating experience, and we are so humbled to be apart of it.”
Image credits: cast21official
The cast can be set in around 10 minutes and is easier to remove than a plaster cast
Image credits: cast21official
The only time I broke something [knocks on wood] was my left wrist, right before my summer exams at school. So I had to sit in a hot room while it’s boiling outside, writing essay after essay for hours on end while my hand constantly reminded me that, yup, it’s still broken. Trust me, it wasn’t fun.
“We have this radical notion that you can enjoy your healing experience. You don’t need to be restrained from daily activities,” Cast21’s vice president of engineering Veronica Hogg explained to the Daily Mail. According to her, their cast is designed to be removed easier than usual as well and doesn’t need a circular saw.
Image credits: cast21official
Image credits: cast21official
Image credits: cast21official
Here’s a video that shows how easy the arm cast is to clean
“Another bonus is that no electricity or water is needed to apply our cast, so it’s very portable. It has potential for use in the military and for at-home first aid,” Hogg highlighted.
Image credits: cast21official
Image credits: cast21official
Image credits: cast21official
Those of you who saw designer Deniz Karasahin’s prototype for a new kind of cast called ‘Osteoid’ might think that it’s similar to Cast21’s design, but they are different. In this case, Karasahin’s design is 3D printed (not letting liquid resin dry) and involves ultrasound.
Image credits: cast21official
Image credits: cast21official
Image credits: cast21official
Image credits: cast21official
Image credits: cast21official
Image credits: cast21official
Image credits: cast21official
Here’s what people thought of the cast
Looks a good idea, though not sure how well it would work in all circumstances. When my arm was broken in a car accident it took 48 hours before it stopped swelling and the cast was too tight. By the end of the week it was then too loose. It was far too painful to use my fingers and my arm needed protection from additional bumps due to the level of bruising. Even when the cast was removed four weeks later I was still badly bruised which shocked the physiotherapist who was supposed to help me get things moving again.
I was thinking the same. I shattered my elbow a few years back and even the slightest touch was really painful, wearing a cast like this would have been next to impossible. Also how well does it immobilize joints? It's a great idea for certain circumstances though!
I would like to see the tan lines after someone wore this in summer.
that would be so cool!
Great idea, but it looks like there would still be too much movement of the limb(s).
Looks a good idea, though not sure how well it would work in all circumstances. When my arm was broken in a car accident it took 48 hours before it stopped swelling and the cast was too tight. By the end of the week it was then too loose. It was far too painful to use my fingers and my arm needed protection from additional bumps due to the level of bruising. Even when the cast was removed four weeks later I was still badly bruised which shocked the physiotherapist who was supposed to help me get things moving again.
I was thinking the same. I shattered my elbow a few years back and even the slightest touch was really painful, wearing a cast like this would have been next to impossible. Also how well does it immobilize joints? It's a great idea for certain circumstances though!
I would like to see the tan lines after someone wore this in summer.
that would be so cool!
Great idea, but it looks like there would still be too much movement of the limb(s).