The Prosthetics & Orthotics Podcast

Tracking digital innovation as it evolves our profession and transforms patient care.

The Prosthetics and Orthotics Podcast is a deep dive into what 3D printing, additive manufacturing, software, and connected workflows mean for prosthetics and orthotics. Brent Wright and Joris Peels explore the technologies, people, and practical decisions reshaping the way we care for patients.

Listen to recent showsSubscribe now

Show snapshot

13

Current season

Digital O&P

Core focus

Brent + Joris

Hosts

Latest episodes

Recent conversations from the TPO archive.

This section is fed by the Buzzsprout API so the newest shows can appear on the homepage without manual updates.

View full archive
Brent Wright and Joris Peels

Hosts

Brent Wright and Joris Peels on the forces changing O&P.

Before visitors get into the latest episodes, this panel gives the show a stronger human anchor. It uses the host artwork as a dedicated feature instead of forcing it into one of the episode cards.

Subscribe to the showBrowse all episodes
Why Some Products Have Soul and Others Don't with Mike Laut
June 9, 2026Season 13Episode 11

Why Some Products Have Soul and Others Don't with Mike Laut

Part 1: Building a Design Firm Around Craftsmanship and Longevity Mike Laut, founder and president of Laut Design in Raleigh, shared how a freelance operation started from his college apartment at NC State grew into one of the region's leading industrial design firms. Throughout the conversation, Mike emphasized the value of craftsmanship, durability, and thoughtful design, drawing parallels between classic machine tools, family-owned manufacturers, and successful modern businesses. He discussed his passion for restoring vintage milling machines and lathes, believing that older equipment often embodies a level of quality, simplicity, and pride that is missing from many modern products. Mike also highlighted the importance of company culture, surrounding himself with talented people, and only working with clients who share similar values. His philosophy centers on creating products that solve real human problems while building a business designed to last for generations.  Part 2: A Potential Industry Disruptor After Mike's interview, Brent and Joris discussed the newly announced Formlabs large-format SLS printer, which dramatically increases build volume while entering the market at a price point far below traditional industrial powder-bed fusion systems. They explored how Formlabs is leveraging years of printing data, thermal monitoring, and software development to address some of the biggest challenges in SLS manufacturing, including print consistency and failure detection. While both hosts expressed excitement about the machine's potential to make industrial additive manufacturing more accessible, they also raised questions about first-generation reliability, material limitations, cooling times, and the long-term economics of Formlabs' powder ecosystem. The consensus was that the release could significantly disrupt established players such as HP, EOS, and Farsoon by lowering barriers to entry and making high-volume powder-bed printing attainable for smaller businesses, service bureaus, and healthcare applications such as prosthetics and orthotics.  Special thanks to Advanced 3D for sponsoring this episode.

Listen nowShow archive
The Embla Report Exposes a Massive Prosthetics Opportunity with Joris and Brent
June 6, 2026Season 13Episode 10

The Embla Report Exposes a Massive Prosthetics Opportunity with Joris and Brent

In this episode, Brent Wright and Joris Peels break down the 2025 Embla Medical Annual Report and explore what it reveals about the future of the prosthetics and orthotics industry. While Embla continues to post steady growth and strong profitability, the discussion centers on larger questions: Is the industry's future in acquiring more clinics or creating new products and markets? The conversation examines Embla's expansion into patient care, neuro-orthotics, and bracing, while highlighting a startling statistic that only 30-40% of new amputees worldwide receive a prosthetic solution. Brent and Joris debate whether the greatest opportunity lies not in serving existing reimbursed markets, but in developing affordable solutions for the millions of underserved patients globally. Along the way, they discuss innovation, 3D printing, AI, reimbursement challenges, acquisitions, and what it will take for the next generation of O&P companies to move beyond simply growing revenue and toward truly transforming patient care  Special thanks to Advanced 3D for sponsoring this episode.

Listen nowShow archive
How Hands-On O&P Education Builds Clinicians with Arlene Gillis
May 13, 2026Season 13Episode 9

How Hands-On O&P Education Builds Clinicians with Arlene Gillis

We talk with Arlene Gillis about how prosthetics and orthotics education is evolving and what it takes to train clinicians who can thrive in modern practice. We dig into hands-on fabrication, residency redesign, and the workforce pipeline that clinics need to keep patient care strong.  • Arlene’s path into prosthetics and orthotics through patient translation and a life-changing fitting  • How becoming an educator requires a new skill set beyond clinical training  • What the move to master’s level O&P education changes for standards, scope, and credibility  • Why hands-on fabrication time still matters even in digital and 3D printing workflows  • Traditional residency versus embedded residency and how mentorship can continue after graduation  • Who today’s O&P students are and how goals shift by background and generation  • Work-life balance, debt pressure, and why some young clinicians leave for higher-paying roles  • Business skills employers want most including coding, front office process, and cost awareness  • Digital workflow training including scanning, CAD, carvers, 3D printers, and EMR exposure  • Care extenders as a clinic model to improve access, speed, and workforce capacity  Special thanks to Advanced 3D for sponsoring this episode.

Listen nowShow archive
Design, Engineering, Clinical Passion, and the Future of Patient Managed Comfort with Alex Dahinten
April 22, 2026Season 13Episode 8

Design, Engineering, Clinical Passion, and the Future of Patient Managed Comfort with Alex Dahinten

We break down what we saw at RAPID, from vapor smoothing and metal printing to reinforcement methods and silicone printing that could reshape interfaces. Then we talk with Alex Dahinten about building better socket comfort through real time adjustability and what it takes to get a new prosthetic solution into clinics through Medicare coding.  • Vapor smoothing as a path to cleaner looking 3D printed parts and the safety tradeoffs behind different chemicals  • What a smaller HP powder bed fusion machine could mean for clinic workflows and cost per part  • Foil based metal manufacturing as an alternative to powder handling for tight tolerance small parts  • Reinforcing thermoplastics by injecting fiber and resin into printed channels and why pricing matters  We then hear: • Alex’s path from biomedical engineering into prosthetics and orthotics  • Upper limb prosthetics as systems integration with higher costs and heavier follow up burden  • Capacity building in global health as the difference between short term missions and sustainable care  • Why the socket interface drives outcomes and how compliance improves comfort without losing energy transfer  • Ethnocare’s Overlay air bladder sleeve for residual limb volume management and the doffing effect problem  • Medicare L5657 and the impact of a fee schedule on clinician and patient access  Special thanks to Advanced 3D for sponsoring this episode.

Listen nowShow archive

What the show covers

Where clinical reality, software, materials, and manufacturing meet.

The current TPO site centers the same themes episode after episode: real workflow change, real business pressure, and real patient impact.

Scanning to fit

Digital workflows that hold up in clinic

From phone-based scanning to CAD, automation, and fabrication, the show follows how digital tools actually move from demos into patient care.

Business and policy

Reimbursement, documentation, and operations

Episodes tackle L-codes, payer dynamics, note quality, software adoption, and the economic tradeoffs clinics face every day.

Global perspective

Innovation beyond one market

Guests range from founders and researchers to clinicians and operators working across the US, Europe, the Gulf, Africa, and beyond.

Meet the hosts

Two longtime observers of how additive manufacturing changes care delivery.

The current site frames TPO as a learning journey through digitization. This section turns that into a clearer introduction to the people behind the microphone.

“Brent brings the clinical and practical lens, keeping each conversation grounded in what helps providers and patients in the real world.”

Brent Wright / Co-host, The Prosthetics and Orthotics Podcast

“Joris tracks the manufacturing, software, and materials side, connecting industry shifts to the future of prosthetic and orthotic production.”

Joris Peels / Co-host, The Prosthetics and Orthotics Podcast

Subscribe

Do not miss the next conversation on digital prosthetics and orthotics.

Follow the show for new episodes on software, 3D printing, scanning, reimbursement, and the people building the next generation of O&P tools.

View all episodes

FAQ

Quick answers for listeners and industry readers.

The updated landing page keeps the current show's purpose clear while giving new visitors a faster way into the archive.

What is the show about?

TPO focuses on how digitization is reshaping prosthetics and orthotics, including 3D printing, software, scanning, materials, reimbursement, and clinical workflows.

Where can I listen?

The show is hosted on Buzzsprout and syndicated to major podcast platforms. The landing page also surfaces recent episodes directly from the Buzzsprout API.