In March 2017, Dan Lasko, a 33-year-old Iraqi war veteran from PA, entered the pool at Long Island’s Eisenhower Park for a first test of The Fin – a first of its kind custom-fitted 3D-printed prosthetic leg – that permits an amputee to go straight from land into the water and back. For Dan, who only wanted to swim again with his kids, this remarkable 3D engineering is literally a life changer.
We found that amphibious prosthetics were underserved: there isn’t any sort of amphibious prosthesis that allows a wearer to embrace a more natural swim. So we set out to change that. Together with Northwell Health, and a guided team of experts, The Feinstein Institute, Northwell Ventures, The Composite Prototyping Center, 3HTI / Markforged 3D printing, we created a ground-breaking amphibious device: The Fin. We looked at the human needs beyond the health needs and achieved innovation at a different level: a human breakthrough. We believe this is an innovation for the future of all parents, athletes, amputees.