Demo-kit
A myoelectric prosthetic trial limb for below-elbow amputees and individuals without amputations
ROLE
PROCESS
Industrial Design Intern
User Research, Benchmarking, Competitor Analysis, User Interviews, Ideation, Form Exploration, Prototyping, Ergonomics, CAD & 3D Renders
TEAM
Dee Dee Labs Pvt. Ltd.
Overview
Brief
Designing an attachable demonstration kit for a prosthetic hand for easy installation on amputees and general people to let users experience the actual product.
Target Audience
Objective
To design a prosthetic device that fits amputees and individuals without amputations which will enable them to experience how the device functions post-installation.
To help users train and familiarise themselves with the electromyography sensory technology
Let users perform the tasks while enacting the gestures.
Below Elbow Amputees, Individuals without amputations and Prosthetist
Interacting with users
Interviews
Dr. Dhiren Joshi
(Prosthetist)
Vishal Bagul
(Amputee)
Babita Singh
(Amputee)
Insights
During our conversations with amputees and professionals, the following key points emerged
1
Trial and Testing: Users want to try the technology and the prosthesis before making a purchase.
2
Custom Fit:
A single socket does not fit everyone due to variations in stump structure.
3
Functionality Assurance:
Users need confidence that the product will meet their basic needs.
Comprehensive Analysis of Prosthetic Limb Integration
We met a few amputees to understand the physiology of the arm, main objectives were to:
-
Observing muscle movements and measuring anthropometric dimensions of the amputated limb
-
Understanding typical movements and gestures of limbs
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Examining prosthetic socket fit on the limb
-
Analyzing muscle contact points with sensors in different positions and orientation
Market Analysis and Opportunity Spaces
Insights
Our market analysis revealed that various products for both amputees and non-amputees are used to experience the product and technology. Two distinct categories were observed in product types:
1
EMG Sensor-Based:
Enables users to perform gestures by installing EMG sensors on their limbs. More favourable for Amputees
2
Button-Based:
Allows non-amputees to perform activities by pressing buttons.
*However, this revealed an interesting opportunity: current products fail to integrate both experiences and adequately serve both user groups with a single device.
Image Credits: Youtube Screenshots*
Ideation
Approach
A variety of concepts were explored based on ways of installation, ergonomics, form, aesthetics and function.
Form Exploration
Various grip gestures were tested on modeling clay to understand wrist and hand orientation, ease of functionality, ergonomic positioning, and the kit's form factor.
The 3D clay forms achieved after analysing grip patterns, they were further iterated to attain better and ergonomic grip for normal users.
Mockups
Actual-size mockups were created and tested on users to finalize the form factor.
1
Prosthetic hand attachment
Final Designs
2
1
3
4
5
2
Control buttons: These buttons allows to perform specific gesture like pinch, grab, etc.
6
3
Palm Rest: The mouse like form helps non amputees to rest their palm and operate the limb with controls directly.
4
EMG sensor socket: Allows Amputees to attach the limb to the device and operate.
5
Power Button
6
Digital display:
It provides user with feedback while training the device
Installation
On Amputees
On Amputees
The amputee's stump is placed in the socket and the EMG sensor band is installed to operate the demokit.
A 3D-printed mockup was made and tried upon a few users to see the placement
