Case Study: University of Minnesota Medical School achieves more realistic airway training for emergency medical personnel with Stratasys 3D printing

3d Printed Manikins Improve Emergency Medical Personnel Training

The University of Minnesota Medical School needed more realistic airway trainers because existing manikins did not accurately reproduce human geometry or tissue properties for life‑saving procedures. Working with Stratasys, researchers used 3D printing — notably the Fortus 250mc and the Objet350 Connex3 printers — plus MRI/CT segmentation and modeling software to recreate patient-specific anatomy and materials for training models.

Using Stratasys printers, the team produced skeletal parts, multi‑material cervical spine components and silicone-molded soft tissues to build four prototype airway trainers delivered to the U.S. Army for evaluation. The Stratasys-enabled prototypes closely matched live human geometry and tissue feel; Army evaluators called them “the most realistic trainer they have ever seen” and said they would use it as their sole trainer, demonstrating a marked improvement in realism and paving the way for Stratasys-based production after further Army approval.

University of Minnesota Medical School

Jack Stubbs

Associate Program Director