Saturday, February 8, 2014

prosthetic hand: milwaukee prt.16 (thermoplastic forming)








We fit some thermoplastic to Shea's arm today. I wanted to see if this was something that we might want to use in the future. Seeing as how the first Robohands were made using this stuff, I thought it best to try it out so Adream and I can assess everything from a design and process perspective. Shea picked out some purple and white sheets to go with her pink printed components. We heated the plastic sheets in hot water and then wrapped them around her arm (that we had applied corn starch to). When heated, the pieces conformed so nicely to her arm. She ended up with a really smooth gauntlet and palm cup. I think we'll be able to make a traditional Robohand style hand using these parts. This will be good to have Shea assess in terms of function and comfort. Again, we just want to be able to take in as much information as possible. Our students will all be building the various types of hands in their work groups and then documenting the process of building and design of each style of hand. They will also compile information and research on the functionality as well, so we can then publish a booklet for people to use to create hands for other people. I think showing all of the various methods of creating a prosthetic hand will be useful to all of us.






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