A 3D printed facial prosthesis that was designed by a Wellington student is in the running for an international design award worth $80,000. The design by a 24 year old has been named as one of the 3 finalists for the New Zealand chapter of the annual James Dyson Award. The award is a global product design innovation contest which recognizes the next generation of design engineers that have developed innovations to solve everyday problems. 

Zach Challies is the design master student at Victoria University who created the 3D printed base for attaching facial prosthetics more comfortably and securely, along with a 2-part, non-traditional prosthetic that enables the wearer to also participate in sports. 

Challies’ design came about due to his desire to improve the quality of life and bring back function to individuals who miss a part of their face due to a traumatic injury, birth defect or surgical treatment. While the traditional prosthesis is able to do its job in aesthetically replacing the nose, patients remain in constant fear of it becoming dislodged. And this fear does impact the lifestyle of the patient. In addition, it is expensive to obtain a new prosthesis which retails at over $1000. 

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