Cover Design for Osseointegrated Prostheses
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Program
Industrial design engineering (MPDES), MSc
Publicerad
2020
Författare
Hörling, Anton
Uriarte Peña, Iñigo
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
This paper reports the design process of a cover for osseointegrated myoelectric
prostheses. The main purpose of these prostheses is to rehabilitate amputees by
restoring as much of the lost function as possible and this is thus what previous
development has focused on primarily. Consequently, aesthetic considerations have
been neglected, and, whilst the functional usability may be the major benefactor for
psychological acceptance of the prostheses, it has lately been suggested that the
appearances also have an affect; that more novel designs, regarding the prostheses as
ornaments rather than replicas, could further enhance perceived quality of life by
having a positive impact on how amputees see themselves as well as how others look at
their disability.
The idea that quality of life for the amputees could be increased by the aesthetics
of prostheses was what motivated the project. To understand how the external design
alters the experience of wearing and encountering a prosthesis, relevant scientific
publications were reviewed, and perspectives of amputees studied in presence on social
media and through interviews. A concept designed for an enhanced experience of use,
satisfying of the criteria elicited in the research, was then developed iteratively though
ideation and prototyping. The result is a functional prototype