hacking prosthetics
2015
In this course, the goal of this project was to co-design a socket prosthesis
for Chris who was born with one arm.
Our team developed a universal socket that enabled Chris to attach his own end effectors custom to his needs and interests. This includes recreational and physiotherapeutic activities
like rock climbing, yoga, and biking.
[ See our team's process in working with Chris and hacking together a socket prosthesis ]
how to: socket codesign
01
We interviewed Chris on why other prostheses don't work for him. Then we co-designed with him by exploring off the shelf materials and comfortable clamping depths on his limb.
02
We built 3 representations of his limb - digital point cloud, casted rubber, and 3D printed plastic. These models helped inform various prototyping methods in building the final socket prototype.
03
The final socket prototype included a carbon fiber shell with soft rubber lining and terminated with mechanical clasps for an open application interface.
04
The team presented at the
Open Hardware Summit in 2015 showcasing the story of our collaboration.
