Citation: Vella P, Dimov S, Brousseau E and Whiteside BR (2015) 'A new process chain for producing bulk metallic glass replication masters with micro-and nano-scale features' The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. 76(1): 523-543. candidates for the first step in this master making process chain. The capabilities of the component technologies together with some issues associated with their integration were studied. To validate the replication performance of the produced masters, a Zr-based BMG insert was used to produce a small batch of micro fluidic devices by micro-injection moulding. Furthermore, an experimental study was also carried out to determine whether it would be possible by NS laser ablation to structure the Zr-based BMG workpieces with a high surface integrity while retaining the BMG' s non-crystalline morphology. Collectively, it was demonstrated that the proposed process chain could be a viable fabrication route for mass production of polymer devices incorporating different length scale features.
Understanding the viewpoint of clinicians in a healthcare setting is a vital task to comprehend the success of patients undergoing physical rehabilitation. Addressing user experience is an essential activity which designers undertake when formulating product specifications at the early stages of product design. The involvement of clinicians during the product use-phase influences the progress and achievements attained by the patients throughout their rehabilitation journey. Several clinicians (n=16) were asked to participate in a qualitative study to evaluate the performance of different personae in activities of daily living. The experiences of patients who use rehabilitation products as part of their therapy session at the clinic were evaluated. Based on this evaluation, a set of clinician requirements were formulated to reflect the overall experience when using rehabilitation products. Understanding these requirements brought about several implications to be considered during the design cycle. Through these considerations and by adopting a user-centred design approach, designers are in a better position to design innovative products targeted at providing a high-quality user experience which increases customer satisfaction.
Nowadays the rehabilitation process involves the patient and the therapist, that must interact to recover the motion of limbs and the strength of related muscles to restore the initial functionalities. The therapy relies on the experience and sensitivity of the therapist that identifies the rehabilitation exercises which are necessary to recover the expected ability. To prevent inappropriate practices an interesting aid may come by mixing collaborative robots, namely Cobots, and additive manufacturing technologies. The proper integration of a Cobot assistant and custom-printed training objects enables a significant improvement in the effectiveness of the therapy action and the related user experience since the programmed trajectories can mimic the movements related to activities of daily living. To this aim, this work describes an integrated approach to support the design of Cobot assisted rehabilitative solutions. The object selected by the patient and therapist, the motion pattern, the clamping area, and loads on the limb represents the design requirements. The motion trajectories defining the specific training tasks are the starting point to the optimal placement within the Cobot workspace. Specifically, manipulability maps can provide an objective evaluation of the locations where the exercises are performed at the best of workspace and configuration of the Cobot. A simple upper limb rehabilitation exercise based on a demonstrative handle has been selected to prove the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The results confirm that the manipulability index can be adopted to drive the preliminary design of the Cobotic solution toward a feasible configuration.
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