Project AdaptoolAdaptool is a student conceptual design project that aims to help arm amputees use tools more easily and efficiently so that they can lead better lives and have higher employability. We designed this project to participate in Microsoft Design Expo 2015, responding to this year's theme: design for the disabled.- BackgroundIn our research we found that amputation is a bigger problem than we had originally imagined. With a focus on China, we collected data from the China Disabled People's Federation and found that there are 24.1 million people in China that suffer from limb loss. Further, disabled people in China have disproportionately low employment rates at only 27%, which is a huge problem. Arm amputations have an even greater impact on amputees in terms of their careers because many jobs require extensive usage of tools.
China Amputee Population and Unemployment RateA large population with limb loss and a very low employment rate have combined to create a huge problem. - InspirationThe conventional design idea that prosthetic hands should always resemble human hands may not be the best idea.
Conventional Design IdeaFirst a prosthetic hand then the tool
Adaptool Design IdeaSkip The GripWe are asking: if the purpose of having a hand is often to operate tools, why not attach tools directly to the prosthetic and just skip the grip? - Structure of AdaptoolIllustrated in both 3-D and 2-D.
Overall DesignPictured: Labelled 2D and 3D models.Keep reading for more technical details of Adaptool design.
Wearing AdaptoolFast and easyAttach your arm to one side and the tools to the other.
Tool Socketconnecting to tools
Tool SocketAll in a button's clickFirst put the handle of the tool into the tool socket, then click the button and the tool will be instantly fixed.
Tool SocketMechanismInside the socket we designed this structure to secure tools: a band forming a ring, with one end connected to a motor. With a click of the button, the motor runs and pulls the band, making the ring smaller, fastening the tool. When you click the button again, the motor will run in the opposite direction and the tool will be released.
ControlMultiple control methods are providedMore complicated jobs require more complex tools, so Adaptool also includes a touch screen for precise configuration and myoelectric sensors.
ControlMyoelectricityMyoelectric sensors pick up the electrical signals your muscles give off when you contract them. Adaptool allows specific contractions to be mapped to actions of the tool being used.
Sleevecomfort for your armAdaptool makes use of the traditional prosthetic sleeve, but with the added advantage of a memory foam lining for extra comfort. A supporting band will also be provided for heavier tools to help relieve weight. - TeamPeople behind Adaptool
Kadallah BurrowesKadallah is an Interactive Media Arts student interested in interactive design, the arts, and the intersection of the two.
Ellina NurmukhametovaEllian is an Interactive Media Arts student at NYU Shanghai who is interested in inclusive design and technology.
Fred WuFred Wu is a student from the Interactive Media Arts program at NYU Shanghai. He has a passion for technology and the arts and his life goal is to combine the best of both worlds.
Watcher WangWatcher is a computer science student at NYU Shanghai who's very interested in artificial intelligence. - Our Professor
Clay ShirkyProfessor at NYUClay Shirky is associate professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University (having previously been distinguished writer in residence) and associate arts professor in the interactive telecommunications program. He is also a Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society and a 2010 Edward R. Murrow Visiting Lecturer at Harvard's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy.Professor Clay Shirky has supervised the whole design process of Adaptool and gave us many valuable suggestions, contributing greatly to its refinement.
