OPTIMISATION OF POINT PRESSURES
In this project I focused on the issue of psychological and physical comfort of amputees who lost their lower limbs. Thanks to interviews with a microvascular surgeon, prosthetists and amputees, and after researching the topic on relevant forums and blogs, I discovered that the limited comfort is a result of the uniform rigidity of the prosthetic socket, which binds the prosthesis to the body.
The uniform socket wall matter was divided into independent modular elements. Socket wall stiffness, controlled by variable structure modules deflection, allows to relieve sensitive areas of the residual limb. The initial models were prototyped in paper. The most efficient paper structures were translated to 3D printing, nowadays the most suitable way to precisely produce the inner socket wall structure on such small scale.
This way of eliminating point pressures can also be used in other situations that require optimisation of pressure distribution. For instance in a wheelchair seats, where the adjustment is necessary since users are not able to change their position. Another good case are bicycle handlebar grips that are also subjected to hand pressure for considerable time. The goal is to combine controlled movement with pressure adjustment, resulting in increased comfort.
The problem of physical and psychological discomfort, experienced by all prosthetic leg users, is invisible for the rest of society. I became curious to find a compromise between some available expensive prosthetic solutions for amputee’s comfort and affordable, less efficient conventional prosthetic sockets. First plan was to collaborate with Institute of Materials to find a solution for quick and easy socket adjustment to a leg stump. The final idea is socket made of one material, precisely adjusted due to its construction, according to location of bones and soft tissue in lower residual limb. I got my inspiration from MIT experimental studies with prosthetic leg user, where the socket production was based on MRI data collected from the amputee’s residual limb.
