Video: Covid-19: Australia responds - iOrthotics

Hi, I’m Dean Hartley from iOrthotics. Based here in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. We’re an advanced manufacturer, we specialise in 3D printing. We’ve utilised grants with the Federal Government through the Entrepreneurs’ Programme, through the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, strategic partnerships with the University of Queensland, and HP. And what it’s allowed to do, for us, is to adapt during this COVID crisis. Where our specialisation may have been in making custom orthotic devices, we’ve now actually pivoted just to do what we can, by producing PPE type devices.

At iOrthotics, we’ve been doing a number of things to help. We’ve been making the face shields as a PPE for the frontline workers. Also for a lot of the allied health clinics that we support around Australia. We’ve been working with Triple 8 Racing. They’ve actually been making ventilators, they’ve done some prototypes over a really quick time where they’ve actually got working prototypes now and we’ve been 3D printing parts for them.

As Australian manufacturers, we need to step up and not be as reliant on overseas countries to help us get through this crisis. So it’s been great to be a part of this new movement that you see here, locally in Australia, where everyone’s showing what skillsets they have and that we can do this ourselves.