McLaren Applied Technologies used 3D printing to develop Project Invincible, a shield to protect vital organs from impact after surgery.

Who is the mysterious Client X? Nobody knows except for McLaren Applied Technologies, who were approached to develop a device that could protect Client X’s vital organs after surgery. The result is Project Invincible, a composite shield perfectly molded to the wearer’s body, made using data from 3D scanning.

The design protects the client from initial impact and efficiently transfers loads to three safer regions of the body. Essentially, the shield works like a rib cage to protect the heart and lungs, while also providing protection from unexpected low energy impact.

McLaren’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Adam Hill said:

“From digital therapeutics, to tailored human performance programmes and bespoke medical devices, our aim is to innovate health care solutions that can be tailored for individual patients… The common thread in all of our projects is data. We use data to build a digital picture of how a patient is performing or recovering, and then create solutions, or in the case of the Project Invincible, devices, to aid our users.”

To develop the shield, the team began by 3D scanning Client X and rapidly prototyping the final design with 3D printing. The shield incorporates a range of materials, including F1 technology such as Zylon fibres and stiff carbon fibres.

Project Invincible Shield Tested in Formula 1 Labs

For Project Invincible, McLaren Applied Technologies collaborated with McLaren Racing and other companies across the Group. This way, there were mechanical engineers, industrial designers, and composites specialists all working together on the project.

To begin with, the designers planned out some initial ideas and also 3D scanned the client. By doing this, they could build a fully custom shield.

The team first began brainstorming many different designs. They chose a Stratasys 3D printer to prototype the CAD designs, using FDM and PolyJet technologies.

The final design incorporates many different materials, all with specific purposes. For example, Dyneema fibres — found in body armor — aid damage containment.

Initial impact is transferred away from the client’s body and instead goes to safer regions where a unique gel material can attenuate the load. Finally, the team tested the 3D printed prototypes in the McLaren’s Formula 1 team labs used for monocoque crash-tests.

No word yet on whether Project Invincible will ever be available to the general public. Maybe when Client X decides to reveal their identity to the world? In the meantime, you can find out more about McLaren Applied Technologies on their website.

Source: McLaren Applied Technologies