Tag Archives: plaster

These gel-filled casts are breathable, waterproof, and look incredibly cool!

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Shattering the archaic approach to plaster/fiberglass cast-building for fractures, Cast21 believes it has a much better alternative to traditional casts. Practically a standard for decades now, plaster-casts are required to sit on your body for months at an end, and considering they aren’t really water-resistant (and your limbs remain 100% enclosed), they begin working up a stench over the months of not being able to wash them. Given their impenetrable nature, casts cause great discomfort over the weeks and anyone who’s worn one will tell you what a pain it is when your skin begins itching and there’s no way to reach in there for a satisfying scratch.

Chicago-based startup Cast21, however, has a much more elegant solution. Designed as a sleeve that fits over any hand, Cast21’s cast takes shape around your hand once it’s filled with a patented gel that hardens over time. Doctors select a sleeve-size based on whether the patient is a child or a fully-grown adult. The sleeve is slipped on, and filled with a patented mixture of resins that become a malleable gel after a while. The doctor can then adjust the gel to perfectly hug the limb, giving it the support it needs. Patients can even choose between gel-colors, opting for combinations and gradients, breaking the stigma that casts need to look horribly clinical. The resins harden through an exothermic reaction, providing soothing heat to the limb as the cast begins to take shape. The outer sleeve itself has a crisscrossed design (almost resembling a pear protector) that allows it to remain breathable while still providing a robust structure around the broken limb. Cast21’s casts are completely waterproof, which means you can shower or even swim in them and their partially-open design even allows you to satisfy an itch, were you to have one! Plus, it provides a decent canvas for scrawling messages on too!

Cast21’s gel-casts are currently limited only to ‘distal radial fractures’ or DR fractures that occur around the wrist. They’re working to develop different sleeves for other parts of the body, while they hope that the technology replaces traditional casts that look, feel, and smell atrocious. The Cast21’s solution has widespread applications, especially for military, outdoor, and first-aid use, since the resin and sleeve are relatively easy to carry around and administer on-site, rather than having to travel to a nearby hospital.

Designer: Cast21

If Chewbacca and Groot Had a Baby…

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Chewbacca and Groot have some things in common. They’re both big, strong, brown, and men of action – not words. But neither of them is particularly cute (though Baby Groot is a different story.)  But if you combined the furry mop of Chewie with the plant-growing abilities of Groot, then shrunk them down to pint-size, the offspring would be simply adorable.

This little guy was created by Redwood Stoneworks, who based the design on the head of Chewbacca’s Funko Pop figure. But in this form, he’s just that much more adorable, with a tiny air plant sticking out of his head, springing forth with life. Each planter is cast in gypsum plaster, then sanded, cleaned, and painted by hand, and for just $21, he’s a steal.

If you like the playful style of this planter, be sure to check out the rest of Redwood Stoneworks’ Etsy shop, which is loaded with other fun and geeky plaster items, like a Han Solo in Carbonite wall hanging, and a Death Star planter.

Egg Membrane Bandages: The Incredible, Medical Egg

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I never thought that those membranes on the inside of an eggshell were good for anything, except if you’re a chick inside an egg. Now it turns out that egg membranes can be used as natural bandages. That being said, you’ll need to keep a dozen eggs handy whenever you do anything dangerous.

egg membrane

A National Institute of Health study found that egg membranes could make an ideal covering for skin graft dressings, due to the egg membranes properties of wound protection, pain relief, and the promotion of infection-free healing. And the guys at Tips on Food Storage say you can use the membranes to quickly stop bleeding from a would too. In order to use this method, you’ll have to carefully peel the egg membrane out of the egg, after having cracked an egg, and poured out the egg white and yolk. Apply the membrane to the wound and keep pressure on it until it hardens, and you can get proper stitches and wound dressing from a medical professional.

I think that plasters and bandages are probably more handy and sterile than plain old eggs, but it makes you wonder if they weren’t used in the past as bandages as well.

[via Lifehacker]