I have hypermobile joints: my ligaments don't work properly.
One therapeutic option for people with my condition, particularly with hypermobile joints in their hands, is the use of a variety of splints.
A simple type of splint is known as the "oval-8" -- see
https://www.healthandcare.co.uk/finger-splint-range/finger-sp lint-oval-8-size-3-individual.html?gclid=CP7y183M5LwCFQfItAo dNQMAQA for an example. These cost a lot of money, for what they are, and it strikes me that if it's possible to 3D print them it could potentially save a lot of money (they're small and light and plastic, they get lost easily); and it might be fun to have them in a variety of colours. Another splint that does this is known as the "murphy" ring splint: see
https://www.healthandcare.co.uk/finger-splints/091052414.html ?gclid=CM7UnJPN5LwCFSgGwwodiHkAtQ -- again, it seems to me that this is excessively expensive for what the device actually is and does.
There are many other splints available, including swan neck (similar function to above), MCP trigger splints, thumb MCP splints and so on. Some, particularly the thumb splints, only seem to be available in metal forms, from specialist jewellers. See
https://www.silverringsplint.com/our-splints/ for one example of the range of products available, and
https://silversplints.com/site/en/products.html for another.
I've looked into making my own splints out of wire, or getting them made by this Etsy shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/EDSringsplints?ref=l2-shopheader-na me but of course the wire is round and doesn't lie flush against the skin, so I think they would be considerably more inconvenient to wear than the jewller models in the previous paragraph.
It strikes me that these products would be perfect for 3D printing: there are already loads of people designing rings, but the thing I'm most interested in is being able to print the splints in a variety of materials. I have very unstable thumbs, but I'd want to try a design in plastic before committing to getting it in silver -- and with Shapeways, that would be easy and cheap to do.
I don't have a lot of money to spend on custom design, so I can't guarantee the design work will be worth your time just from my custom, and I guess you'd have to include all the usual disclaimers about medical stuff and make sure customers seek appropriate advice. But I'm sure there are loads of patients with hypermobility who would prefer less expensive ring splints, either for children whose hands are still growing, or as a way of confirming fit and function before splashing out for something like stainless steel or silver.
I don't know the first thing about 3D modeling and I am not all that interested in learning, but perhaps someone here can help. Do e-mail me at artsyhonker at gmail dot com if you have any further questions about what I'm looking for.