ENCAJA Printed Prosthetic Socket Wins James Dyson Award's Colombian National Prize

On October 15, 2026, Nanjixiong learned that Laura Echeverri-Giraldo of Colombia's Pontifical Javeriana University won the 2026 James Dyson Award's Colombian national prize for her ENCAJA prosthetic socket system.



ENCAJA addresses the lack of affordable custom sockets for people with forearm amputations. Smartphone scanning and generative design produce a customized socket that protects pressure-sensitive areas, followed by printing at substantially lower cost than conventional handmade sockets. A universal distal connector accommodates everyday tools such as forks, while removable laser-cut foam lining improves comfort.

The inspiration was a young girl born without an arm who wanted to play piano. Echeverri uses Grasshopper algorithms to accommodate different residual-limb scans and has validated the system in five cases. The national award provides £5,000, with ENCAJA advancing to the £30,000 international competition on November 4.

Nanjixiong's observation
Printing's value in prosthetics lies in extending affordable customization rather than novelty. Scaling this scan–algorithm–print workflow could lower fitting barriers in developing countries.

AI-translated from an article by Kuaixiong on Nanjixiong, originally published on 2026-10-15. Text and images retain the original source attribution.
Read the original Chinese article