In the latest project for Universal Design we are working to create a splinting device for a burn victim that helps him to keep his fingers straight. The splint needs to be bendable so he can grab things, not be abrasive on the skin on the top of his hands, still allow him to put his fingers in his pockets, and a few other criteria. I am working with a couple of other people to solve this problem, and I think with our varied backgrounds we will be able to create some interesting solutions. Here are a couple of the very rough prototypes that we created.
We created a couple of variations of this one, there is a piece that rests against the palm and helps to keep the last joint straight, the neoprene sleeve keeps the finger straight but still allows the finger to bend. The rigid part in this version is to long and still restricts motion. There also needs to be consideration for breathabilty in the material but there is potential.
Both of these versions allow for the middle joint to move, but help to keep the other joints straight. We found that in this type of prototype the higher the elastic part was attached in the back the better the flexibility and recoil of the brace was.
This best shows the problem with this method. There is a problem with the height in allowing for the hand to enter the pocket. We think that this can be partially alleviated by giving the form a plow shape that helps it to slide into the pocket.
Both of these operate similarly with a rigid bottom piece and straps that could softly hold it to the finger. The main difference being that the top part has an elastic band and the second version has a torsion spring. We are thinking the latter holds a good deal of potential for keeping the entire thing streamlined.
A few of the prototypes we made.
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