In this exclusive movie, German athlete Denise Schindler explains how she is working with Autodesk to become the first cyclist to compete with a fully 3D-printed prosthetic leg at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

"This is going to be the world's first prosthetic at the Paralympics that has been 3D printed," says Paul Sohi, in-house product designer at Autodesk, in this exclusive Dezeen movie. "We're at a stage technology-wise to initiate a paradigm shift in this industry."

Schindler, a silver medalist at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, had her right leg amputated after a childhood accident. To cycle, she uses a specially designed prosthetic leg.

"I am amputated below the knee," Schindler explains in the movie, which was filmed by Dezeen at prosthetic engineering company Reha-Technik Wellmer und Schmidbauer in Germany. "I have a special cycling leg that adapts to the pedal."

Schindler usually competes with a hand-made carbon-fibre prosthesis, but for the last year she and her orthopaedic technician Thomas Wellmer have been working with software company Autodesk to create a 3D-printed polycarbonate version.

Sports prostheses are highly bespoke and precise pieces of equipment, which need to be redesigned and refitted regularly to accommodate slight changes in an athlete's body over time.

Read more on Dezeen: http://www.dezeen.com/?p=900142

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