An Assistive Artistic Device
Assistive devices can help people do things they need or want to do such as painting.Copyright 2016 Thomas Oliva, RET Program, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Students design and develop a useful assistive device for people challenged by fine motor skill development who cannot grasp and control objects. In the process of designing prototype devices, they learn about the engineering design process and how to use it to solve problems. After an introduction about the effects of disabilities and the importance of hand and finger dexterity, student pairs research, brainstorm, plan, budget, compare, select, prototype, test, evaluate and modify their design ideas to create devices that enable a student to hold and use a small paintbrush or crayon. The design challenge includes clearly identified criteria and constraints, to which teams rate their competing design solutions. Prototype testing includes independent evaluations by three classmates, after which students redesign to make improvements. To conclude, teams make one-slide presentations to the class to recap their design projects. This activity incorporates a 3D modeling and 3D printing component as students generate prototypes of their designs. However, if no 3D printer is available, the project can be modified to use traditional and/or simpler fabrication processes and basic materials.
Engineers use creativity and imagination to solve problems. People are living better and longer today thanks to biomedical engineers who develop new technologies in the health and medical fields such as assistive technologies, medicines and heart repairs. Like most engineers, biomedical engineers follow the steps of the engineering design project in their approaches to finding solutions to problems that directly relate to the human body. For real-world engineers, the design process typically includes a great number of iterative prototype versions and modifications en route to transform ideas into practical solutions. The design and development of assistive devices, such as eyeglasses, hearing aids, replacement limbs and wheelchairs, improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Generate a solution to an open-ended design problem by following the steps of the engineering design process.
- Develop multiple solutions to a design problem.
- Describe/explain the impact of assistive devices.
Design prototypes can be generated by hand or by computer.Copyright 2016 Thomas Oliva, RET Program, Worcester Polytechnic Institute