Designing alternative interactive techniques to aid in prosthetic rehabilitation for children

Abstract

In 2014, a team of University of Central Florida engineering students gained national media exposure when they developed a customized prosthetic 3D printed arm for a six-year-old boy. This team of UCF engineers known as Limbitless Solutions, is a non-profit organization devoted to bringing designers together who aim to use their skills to improve the world around them. Using their vast knowledge of engineering and multiple 3D printing facilities they are able to create cheap, and accessible prosthetics for children. In the late spring of 2015, the School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD) was approached by Limbitless Solutions to assist in the further design development of their products. Limbitless reached out to SVAD to obtain students who could customize and design personalized decorations on the prosthetics to suit their recipient. During those initial meetings it became clear that there was a great opportunity for collaboration between the School of Visual Arts and Design and Limbitless. Limbitless showed interest in the Game Design program at SVAD and proposed a research opportunity to integrate the controls of the Limbitless prosthetic arm with game developed by SVAD students. When the children receive their prosthetic, many of them still need to learn or, in many cases, relearn elements such as grabbing, squeezing and other range of movement with their newly fitted prosthetic, the games developed by SVAD are used to train these movements.