How 3D printing technologies can contribute into an iterative design process? Case study to hit a drum for Disabled Children

Abstract

In the Assistive Technology area and design for disability, users must be taken into account during the design process. Multidisciplinary design team is constituted and an adapted design methodology used. In this design case study, this team has to develop an electromechanical drumstick dedicated to percussion instruments. Objective is to allow Disabled Children to hit a drum using an automated drumstick. Authors proposed to used of available Rapid Prototyping (RP) Technologies all along the design process. Different RP technologies were manipulated by engineerins and engineering students to be able to validate progressively product functions and news ideas and designs. The results indicates that one RP technology can be chosen in correlation with a new iteration of the design methodology. The availability of RP technologies helps the multidisciplinary team to validate progressively the product according to requirements. This experiment contributes to the development of different prototypes over the years.

Manufacturing Technology in Rehabilitation Practice: Implications for Its Implementation in Assistive Technology Production

“…These five paper addressed the following topics: 1) AM for the fabrication of an accurate auricular prosthesis that enables the clinician to refabricate the prosthesis whenever the patient returns [21]; 2) a design methodology for working with Assistive Technology in a multidisciplinary team [30]; 3) effective experience sharing between clinicians, designers and engineers [34]; 4) design of orthoses that are fully responsive to the therapeutic needs of patients where hand orthosis clinicians have indicated the pressure zones [41]; 5) the development and validation of an AM interfacial stress sensor made by a multidisciplinary team, including clinicians [53]. Thirty-four articles were published in journals and two were published as conference proceedings.…”