{"id":51,"date":"2022-09-26T06:04:48","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T06:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hassanbokhari.xyz\/?page_id=51"},"modified":"2023-04-14T15:42:35","modified_gmt":"2023-04-14T15:42:35","slug":"dp-3","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hassanbokhari.xyz\/?page_id=51","title":{"rendered":"DP – 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A Sense of Independence<\/strong>
(iBiomed Project 3)<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\ud83d\udc64<\/strong> Background<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individuals with limited hand mobility due to nerve damage, joint issues, or general muscle weakness often face significant challenges in performing daily tasks and maintaining their independence. Conditions such as strokes, multiple sclerosis, or paralysis can lead to hand mobility limitations, hindering the ability to carry out everyday activities and impacting the overall quality of life<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Identified Solution<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u2764\ufe0f Need<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The Exo-Flex<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The EXO-FLEX <\/strong>is an assistive glove made for people with limited mobility in their hands. Its purpose is to provide extra gripping strength and stability to aid the user in their daily activities, improving their overall quality of life. The glove is designed to move the user\u2019s 2nd and 3rd fingers by pulling strings attached to the front and back of the hand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Design an affordable, adaptable, and portable assistive device that enables individuals with limited hand mobility to perform daily tasks independently, thereby enhancing their overall quality of life and promoting self-sufficiency.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83c\udfafObjectives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Should assist individuals with hand mobility impairments<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Should improve the user’s ability to perform daily dexterity related tasks<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Should enhance the user’s quality of life<\/strong> and independence<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Should be affordable and accessible <\/strong>for the target demographic<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    \ud83d\udea7 Constraints<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Must use limited budget and resources <\/strong>for prototype development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Must be completed within 1-2 month time<\/strong> for designing, testing, and refining.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Must be in a form-factor which makes sense to the patients requirements<\/strong>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Must be durable and reliable <\/strong>during extended use.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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      \ud83d\udd11<\/strong> Functions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      1. Provide mechanical assistance<\/strong> to augment the user’s grip strength and dexterity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Incorporate sensors and actuators to facilitate intuitive and responsive control.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Design a comfortable, ergonomic fit <\/strong>that accommodates various hand sizes and shapes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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        300$ to make<\/p>\nCan be further reduced to less than 50$ if we use an alternate processor such as an Arduino as a RaspberryPI which is the current device is more powerful than we need it to be.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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        Product straps on to arm and operates completely wirelessly (other than portable battery bank)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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        Incorporating triangle design in fingers to allow flexibility as-well as accommodating for different hand sizes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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        \ud83e\uddd1 My Individual Contributions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        • Utilized CAD<\/strong> towards creation and design of both hand component, housing component, mechanism, and final assembly on my personal 3D printer<\/strong>.
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        • As Project Manager, created a preliminary Gantt chart and weekly agendas<\/strong> to ensure project progress
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        • Assembly and Integration of EMG Sensors<\/strong> and Servo output <\/strong>to interact with mechanical device.
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        • Researched Material and Design <\/strong>verification using computer programs to optimize design strength as pictured below
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          Assembly CAD model of Exo-Flex device integrated with a raspberryPI and special housing also designed to strap on to wrist. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          Contribution Images<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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          \ud83d\udd28<\/strong> Applied Skills<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \ud83e\udde0 Soft Skills<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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          • Collaboration<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Presentation skills <\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Lateral thinking<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Project management<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            \u2699\ufe0f<\/strong> Hard Skills<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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            • \"\" Autodesk Inventor<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • \"\" PowerPoint<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • \"\" Python<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • \"\" PrusaSlicer (3D Printing)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • \ud83d\udee0\ufe0f Prototyping<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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              Preliminary prototype electronic component assembly within printed CAD fixtures<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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              Simulated Stress tests conducted to optimize design strength which eventually led to a redesign of the finger supports identifying the point of failure. <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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              Dual-Slack enabling gear mechanism designed by myself to allow extension and retraction on both ways with 1 output servo. <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

              \ud83d\udcd0 Design Process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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              • After creating some general preliminary sketches <\/strong>for our solution we created a combined concept sketch <\/strong>with the opening\/closing mechanism for the Exo-Flex
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                • Printed Exo-Flex Hand part completely with TPU flexible filament<\/strong> to wrap around you hand<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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                  • I tested around with various designs to optimize the wrist strap, one-piece assembly design<\/strong> for the accurate application. Approx. 15 different prototype iterations<\/strong>
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                    • The group eventually implemented the code within the mechanism <\/strong>and tested to fix bugs and re-iterated the design to be more effective by using EMG<\/strong>,<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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                      Preliminary sketch for design<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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                      Preliminary sketch for gearing dual slacking mechanism<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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                      Test mechanism using plastic gears<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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                      Initial print for finger supports. Was redesigned to be stronger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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                      CAD redesign of finger mechanism<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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                      Spread of various iterations and prototypes (not including final version)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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                      Initial prototype with FSR’s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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                      Mounting of new EMG sensor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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                      New final product image with lid removed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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                      • \u274c Plastic 3D printed gears & axles were not strong enough<\/strong> to reliably pull the string with the mechanism<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • \u2705Replaced plastic with acrylic gears and and stronger axles resulting in a significantly more durable mechanism<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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                        • \u274c Initial design for finger supports was not strong enough so it would easily break<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • \u2705Redesigned to be thicker and much more resistant to normal usage damage.<\/strong> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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