Advancements in medical research and technologies usually do not reach the world's most far-flung places, let alone those with poor economic development and no infrastructure. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, bereft from most of the amenities that might be available even in its neighboring Caribbean islands. As a result, Haitians do not have access to the quality of care many others can afford. What countries like Haiti need is more than just doctors and healthcare administrators, but also the tools and technologies whereby Haiti can build its own healthcare infrastructure. 3D printing, like many other technologies, proves tremendously empowering because it allows Haitians to create materials they can then use rather than borrow or receive donations. With a 3D printer, Haiti can manufacture its own medical supplies in an incredibly simple, straightforward, and cost-effective way that does not require massive investments in infrastructure or manufacturing sectors. The 3D printing method is also relatively easy to learn. The example of 3D printing for medical services in Haiti highlights the ways technology has the ability to transform society in meaningful ways. Typically, a "digital divide" separates the haves and the have-nots, creating tremendous disparity in who has access to technologies around the world. Technology can therefore symbolize income or wealth disparity. To remedy this problem, aid organizations can do more to bring the building blocks of technologies to regions in need so that local individuals and organizations can learn how to use those tools to serve their own needs and interests. Rather than importing costly materials that are irrelevant in local hands, it is preferable to offer materials that are meaningful in their application to the daily lives of people. Medical equipment including simple devices like prosthetics can make a huge difference in the daily lives of people, deeming individuals with disabilities able to work and thereby generate income and contribute to their communities.

As of yet, the 3D printed materials have not yet been deemed fully safe for use internally but researchers are working on developing materials that can be used to manufacture 3D printed materials that can be placed inside the human body (Horn, 2013). Advancements in filament materials can soon make them safe enough for internal use. Prosthetics manufactured in typical ways can cost thousands of dollars, placing them far out of reach for Haitians (Thu, 2015). The 3D printed version of a prosthetic limb can cost as little as $15. Moreover, the 3D printed version is easy to assemble and replicate. Test models can also be tweaked, as prototypes are relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

3D printing in Haiti is one example of how technology is a multidisciplinary field not solely within the province of science and engineering. Technology has innumerable real world applications that reveal the interfaces between technology, science, and social justice. Artists and designers who typically work with 3D printing have contributed their knowledge to the field, showing how art and science are also interconnected. "The catastrophic Haitian earthquake of 2010 resulted in the death of more than 100,000 people," Matthews (2015) points out, showing the humanitarian function of technological advancements. Those advancements are only meaningful when they are shared equitably across the global population.

After the earthquake hit, an organization called 3 DforHealth, dedicated to the medical applications of 3D printing, instantly identified 16 core objectives for using their technologies in Haiti: objects that could "meet the real-time demands of medical professionals and set about training individuals" in how to operate 3D printers like the MakerBot Replicator 1 (Matthews, 2015). Therefore, meeting population needs with technology requires conscientious application of known best practices in project management. Before blindly providing tools and technologies, leaders need to envision the end goals and tailor their technologies to meet those goals. Identifying risks and needs can help reduce costs and prevent redundancies. In the case with 3 DforHealth and Haiti, leaders interviewed healthcare workers in the field at several different health care delivery sites. This way, project leaders could identify the different needs of different populations and come up with a strategy as to which items would be most necessary in which sites. For example, one site recommended an umbilical cord clamp, which was possible with the 3D printing technologies (Matthews, 2015). In addition to 3 DforHealth, iLabHaiti has been producing the umbilical cord clamps (Martin, 2013). After the materials have been created, concerns related to "product longevity, sanitation and reusability, as well as possible guidelines for responsible human trials" come to the fore, also...

New applications "are surfacing on an almost daily basis," (Matthews, 2015). Communities can rally around causes that offer technological innovations and interventions, showing how technology creates social cohesion and promotes social harmony. For example, in Haiti, a local community resource center that helps prepare Haitians for the workforce and provides occupational skills training has been working with the 3D printing companies. Not only are the 3D printing companies helping Haitian doctors to print on demand items like the umbilical cord clamps, they are also paving the way for Haitians to find meaningful careers in their chosen fields. Those fields might end up being related to technology and engineering, but even if not, their skills will be enhanced by contact with the technologies. In the case of the recipients of prosthetics for limbs lost in the disaster or for healthy mothers, their lives are enhanced directly because technology allows them to become viable for work. Technologies in some cases save peoples' lives.
In addition to manufacturing medical equipment, which is besieged by certain limitations including safety concerns, 3D printers can provide Haitian stakeholders with instant access to reusable bags, boxes, and other equipment that can make their daily lives easier and healthier. Current limitations in the application of 3D printing to medical equipment include the nature of the filament, and making it more malleable and applicable for inserting devices into the human body. In the meantime, the technology can be easily applied to other sectors and show Haitians how they might use the 3D printers to suit other identifiable needs.

According to Perretty (n.d.). 59% of Haitians live under the national poverty line -- which itself is a meager $2.44 per day. Furthermore, 24% of Haitians earn under $1.24 dollar per day. "The majority of people lack adequate shelter, clean water and access to health care," (Perretty, n.d.). Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like Field Ready provide the project management services that can facilitate the dissemination of technologies in Haiti, such as 3D printers. The transportation networks in and out of disaster sites, and throughout Haiti's poor transportation infrastructure in general, "typically suffer from heavy congestion by competing nongovernmental organizations that deploy unwieldy, and sometimes unnecessary, equipment," (Matthews, 2015). Because 3D printing devices and the products they produce are light and inexpensive, such as the filament materials, they present little in the way of health hazards, costs, or difficulties in transporting them. In short, 3D printing can revolutionize the ways countries like Haiti recover from disasters and become more resilient in the future. The cost of 3D printing, like all other new and emerging technologies, has been slowing diminishing since its inception. The lowering costs will make it possible for a greater number of NGOs and private sector investors to provide such tools to the developing world.

The developing world is typically the last recipient of technologies, if at all. Too often, technology remains where the owners of the means of production reside: in the wealthiest nations of the world. Humanitarian aid and intervention sometimes does bring technology to the developing world but without providing an infrastructure that ensures technology can become entrenched. In the case with Haiti, certainly technology is a long way from becoming entrenched to the point where it will change the lives of people and create avenues whereby Haitians can participate directly in the global market economy. Nevertheless, the 3D printing case study provides an example of how technology can empower the end user.

3D printing and other technologies reduce disparities in access to quality medical care and other essential services. Technology can help to level the playing field around the world, rather than exacerbate inequity. In Haiti, 3D printing has empowered local aid workers and organizations to manufacture simple but life-saving devices. A high rate of infant mortality can thereby be reduced, as the 3D printed umbilical cord clamps increase the likelihood that both baby and mother will survive. "Typically, birthing attendants will use what is available to them -- ranging from shoelaces to the improper use of a sterile string," (Perretty, n.d.). Such methods would be considered criminal practice in the United States, and there is no reason why those methods should be tolerated if they can be prevented in any other nation in the world. Technology might not be a panacea, but it comes close to providing the perfect means by which to improve the lives of individuals…