Rajesh Das, Officer P&O at Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, will participate as a speaker and panelist at the 3D GEM 2026 Conference at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay on 28 May 2026.
Das will speak in Session 2 – Orthopaedics, Orthotics & Prosthetics, presenting on the theme: “Transforming Prosthetics & Orthotics through Digital Fabrication & 3D Printing: Opportunities, Challenges, and Scalable Innovations in the Indian Ecosystem.” His participation was announced through a LinkedIn post by Rajesh Das.
For BharatCPO readers, the session is especially relevant because India’s prosthetics and orthotics sector is moving steadily toward digital workflows. 3D scanning, CAD modification, additive manufacturing, digital documentation and AI-enabled design support are increasingly being explored as ways to improve access, standardisation and scalability across public, private, charitable and institutional rehabilitation services.
The 6th edition of 3D Graphy Engineering & Medical, or 3D GEM 2026, is scheduled for 28 and 29 May 2026 at IIT Bombay. Event listings describe it as a national platform for 3D printing, 3D visualisation, AI, AR/VR, digital twin technologies, live demonstrations, exhibitions, competitions and healthcare innovation.
The Orthopaedics, Orthotics & Prosthetics session is listed for 28 May 2026, 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM, at IIT Bombay’s Lecture Hall Complex. The session is intended to bring together orthopaedic surgeons, prosthetists, orthotists, biomedical engineers, rehabilitation specialists, researchers and technology innovators to explore patient-specific healthcare solutions powered by 3D technologies and AI.
Das’s topic comes at an important time for Indian rehabilitation. The country faces large and diverse needs across lower-limb amputation, upper-limb prosthetics, paediatric orthotics, spinal bracing, diabetic foot care, mobility aids and assistive technology. At the same time, access remains uneven, especially outside major cities. Digital fabrication could help bridge some of these gaps if it is implemented with clinical governance, trained professionals and realistic service models.
In prosthetics and orthotics, digital fabrication can support several parts of the care pathway:
- 3D scanning for patient capture
- CAD-based rectification and design
- 3D printing of sockets, orthoses, covers, jigs or trial devices
- Digital records for repeat fittings and replacement
- Remote collaboration between clinicians and fabrication centres
- Improved documentation for public-sector and NGO programmes
- Faster iteration for patient-specific assistive technology
However, the challenges are equally important. India must evaluate materials, durability, safety, cost, training, repairability, rural deployment, quality assurance and long-term follow-up. A 3D-printed prosthetic socket or orthosis must still be clinically appropriate, comfortable, safe and maintainable. Digital tools cannot replace the judgement of trained prosthetists and orthotists.
This is why Das’s framing — opportunities, challenges and scalable innovation — is important. India does not need digital fabrication only as a technology showcase. It needs systems that can support practical service delivery at scale, including government programmes, ALIMCO-linked provision, private clinics, rehabilitation institutes, educational centres and community outreach models.
Das’s background also gives the session added relevance. Alongside his role at ALIMCO, he serves as President of OPAI Delhi and has experience across healthcare services, special education, intellectual disabilities and rehabilitation. This combination reflects the multidisciplinary reality of assistive technology in India: prosthetics and orthotics must connect with disability policy, education, community participation and long-term empowerment.
The discussion at 3D GEM 2026 may also help bring India’s engineering and clinical communities closer together. Additive manufacturing has huge potential in healthcare, but successful O&P innovation requires collaboration between engineers, clinicians, technicians, patients, rehabilitation experts, materials scientists, policymakers and manufacturers. The best devices are not only printable — they are usable, repairable, affordable and suited to the person’s real environment.
For India’s P&O profession, the key question is no longer whether digital fabrication will enter the sector. It already has. The more important question is how India can build a responsible digital O&P ecosystem that supports:
- Better access for underserved users
- Stronger clinical standards
- Affordable patient-specific devices
- Local fabrication capacity
- Data-driven follow-up and replacement
- Training for prosthetists, orthotists and technicians
- Integration with public disability and rehabilitation programmes
3D GEM 2026 offers a timely platform for that conversation. By placing orthopaedics, orthotics and prosthetics alongside engineering, medical 3D printing, AI and digital twin technologies, the conference can help position P&O as a central part of India’s next phase of patient-specific healthcare innovation.
For BharatCPO, Rajesh Das’s participation is a reminder that the future of Indian prosthetics and orthotics will be shaped not only by new machines and materials, but by professionals who can connect technology with real rehabilitation needs. Digital fabrication will matter most when it helps more people receive better-fitting, more affordable and more sustainable devices — not just faster products.
- Rajesh Das LinkedIn announcement on 3D GEM 2026
- 3D GEM 2026 event listing
- 3D GEM 2026 LinkedIn showcase page
- Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
- Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India
- Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India
- Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India
- World Health Organization standards for prosthetics and orthotics