For 1st Time in Saudi Arabia, Facility for Prosthetics Using 3D Technology

The use of the digital industry in the manufacture of limbs reduces the chance of human errors (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The use of the digital industry in the manufacture of limbs reduces the chance of human errors (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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For 1st Time in Saudi Arabia, Facility for Prosthetics Using 3D Technology

The use of the digital industry in the manufacture of limbs reduces the chance of human errors (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The use of the digital industry in the manufacture of limbs reduces the chance of human errors (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Heal-Tec, a Saudi-based medical rehabilitation manufacturing facility, is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia to manufacture prostheses, prosthetic devices and aids using digital industry that includes scanning and 3D printing.

Co-founded in 2020 by Dr. Hashim AlZain and Eng. Ayman Noori, HealTec is a dedicated B2B healthcare rehabilitation manufacturing facility that enables the local production of medical prosthetics and other devices to serve long-term care and rehabilitation patients.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, AlZain said that the use of digital industry in the manufacture of prosthetics has many benefits, including accuracy of measurements and speed of response, as it allows the production of accurate and complex parts more and faster than traditional methods, allowing patients to have a quick treatment and recovery.

According to AlZain, previous traditional methods were done either by using gypsum or meter measurements, and depended on the skill of the service provider; thus, human errors were frequent. But the use of this technology has greatly reduced these risks, he underlined.

AlZain noted that the size of the prosthetics market amounted to 3.7 billion Saudi riyals annually. He added that during the next five years, the factory’s share would reach 85 million riyals, to cover approximately 40 percent of the local needs.

Service providers in hospitals and rehabilitation centers usually import all the material from outside the Kingdom, which necessitates a long period of supply. Prosthetics and auxiliary devices may take more than three weeks to be supplied, which causes a backlog in appointments.

HealTec provides its manufacturing services to rehabilitation hospitals and healthcare centers across the Kingdom in record time compared to the traditional means, which rely heavily on imports.

The factory is also able to export prosthetics, devices, and aids to neighboring countries through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, which enhances the implementation of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.



Sunken WWII Japanese Warship Found Off Solomon Islands

A team from the US non-profit Ocean Exploration Trust discovered the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki. Photo: Ocean Exploration Trust
A team from the US non-profit Ocean Exploration Trust discovered the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki. Photo: Ocean Exploration Trust
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Sunken WWII Japanese Warship Found Off Solomon Islands

A team from the US non-profit Ocean Exploration Trust discovered the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki. Photo: Ocean Exploration Trust
A team from the US non-profit Ocean Exploration Trust discovered the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki. Photo: Ocean Exploration Trust

An international research team has located a Japanese World War II destroyer on the deep seabed off Solomon Islands as the 80th anniversary of the war's end approaches.

A team from the US non-profit Ocean Exploration Trust discovered the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki at a depth of more than 800 meters (2,625 feet) off the small island nation northeast of Australia, AFP reported.

A video image of the wreck shows parts of the 134-meter (440-foot) Teruzuki, which was torpedoed by the US military in 1942, illuminated by lights from the research team's underwater drones.

The footage shows red paint on the hull, corroded gun barrels and the warship's massive stern.

Commissioned in 1942, the Teruzuki was designed for screening aircraft carriers from aerial attacks, the exploration group said.

However, the Teruzuki, which means "Shining Moon" in Japanese, was hit by US torpedoes just months into its service.

Nine sailors were killed but most of the crew members survived, the Ocean Exploration Trust said.

Teruzuki's stern was found more than 200 meters (660 feet) from the hull and was located by high-resolution sonar scans, it said.

The discovery was made while the team used drones to survey the area in the hope of finding unidentified shipwrecks or other items.