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FABLab Rehab - Atrium Internship
All Projects: FABLab Rehab
Learn more about our projects with Atrium Health: Charlotte Latin Kicks Off Biomedical Internship Program
For daily updates on all projects: Daily Journal
Gaming Mounts:
Description:
Working with Atrium Health Rehabilitation Center, Caroline Uys and I are working to design stable and affordable mounts that patients can use in order to play video games. While playing video games seems like a minor part of recovery, the impact that playing games has on the patients is profound. Giving patients a source of entertainment that they are in control of allows patients to have a sense of normalcy and independence that can feel difficult to come by in their recovery journey. Additionally, video games are fun and a good escape for patients to enjoy. When initially meeting with Atrium Rehab, we saw the mounts they were using that cost patients upwards of $300 per mount, and with many patients needing multiple mounts, the cost can often be unjustifiable to families. Not only does the hospital have limited amounts of mounts for the patients, but when patients return to their homes, they no longer have access to the mounts unless they buy them. Caroline and I’s goal is to have a mount that patients can use by late January.
Key Design Considerations:
- Stability
- During gameplay, the mounts will be pushed against repeatedly and cannot move, or else it will impact the patient’s ability to successfully use them
- Many patients deal with involuntary movements, where it is possible that the mount would get hit and in the case of this occurring, the mounts must be sturdy enough to remain unmoved
- Customizations
- As the patients are using their heads to press the buttons on the mounts, the mounts need to be right next to their heads, which can be very different heights for different people
- Many patients have other assistive technology being used at all times or IVs, catheters, and critical medical devices. The mounts need to clamp onto tables (flat surfaces) or wheelchairs (round surfaces) in order to accommodate patients’ other necessities
- The length of the mounts needs to be customizable in terms of the mount coming from behind the patients or the side. This helps accommodate patients who may feel crowded by too many pieces of equipment in front of them
- Mobility
- As mentioned before, the length needs to be adjustable for individual patients, but the mount needs to be flexible and easy to change the angles of attachments
Materials, Expenses, and Tools
Materials
So far, the only material we have used is PLA. We will continue to use PLA until we finalize our prototype. Once we have a final design, we will shift to a more durable and stronger material. Currently, PLA makes the most sense for our prototypes because it is inexpensive and there is easy access to it in the lab.
Possible materials: Aluminum, Acetal, and Reinforced Plastic
- We are still looking into the pros, cons, and logistics of all of these materials.
Expenses
The cost of the whole project is $10.46 of PLA
| Mount Part | Specifics | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Prototype | Whole | 6.30 |
| Plate | Design 1 - Whole | 0.51 |
| Plate | Design 2 - Whole | 1.29 |
| Plate | Design 2 - Ball Joint + Cap | 0.22 |
| Plate | Design 2 - Whole | 1.32 |
| 3 inch Plate | Design 1 - Whole | 0.65 |
| Left Joint Piece | Design 1 - Whole | 0.17 |
Tools
For this particular project, just the 3D printers are necessary. We are aiming to keep these designs simple due to the Atrium Rehab Center only having access to a 3D printer and other limited equipment. We will potentially outsource the mounts to be made once we have finalized the design.
This project will include heat-set metal inserts to replace some of the threading. 3D printed threading can wear down overtime making the connections between parts weaker. The metal inserts would fix this issue making the overall mount last longer.
Moving Forward
- Finding a more sturdy material to print with. Find a balance of stability, cost, and weight
- Tightening the joints between the arms, making them more secure - current task
- adapting the base joint to fit into the mount designed be Caroline
Task Analysis
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSXCDKx7U6v_n2bNNNe-R1jgGsKZ8uySW3g5Zo91Be_IDZY7_K6B6yFrgJeVb58BQxEck8npVrNNUBQ/pub
Conceptual Reference
This phone mount by Hardware Lab (Creator on Printables) served as the inspiration for our initial design. We chose to base our project on this because the locking joints and mobility of the mount align with the mount that Caroline and I are trying to create. We knew that the main points that would not work for our project are the top phone holder parts and the base of the mount.
Printables Prototype - Actual Mount Design
Under the title Model Files, there are downloadable links to every piece used thus far. Currently, we are editing and redesigning certain pieces, but listed below are all of the pieces we have printed and the quantity.
- Parts 1-6, Part 7 29mm, Parts 8-10, Two of Parts 11-15, Part 16 180mm, Parts 17-20, Part 21 180mm, Parts 22-27, and Part 32
Design Aspects:
Plate:
The phone mount that we used as our conceptual reference does not include a mount that is similar to the one we will be using in our project so this design is not based on the Printables Mount. When we met with the nurses at Atrium Health Rehab, they liked the mobility that the ball joint would provide the plate. Thus, I designed the initial plate with their input in mind. My initial prototype for the plate is a ball joint connected to a rectangular plate. This initial design will give me a baseline on how heavy the plate will be, the size it will be, and the fit of the ball into the mount.
The current design for the plates has the piece to screw it on preattatched giving the nurses and pacients one less piece to keep track of. Additionally, the plate comes in two sizes, 5 inches and 3 inches in order to accomidate for the two button sizes that the pacients use.
Joints:
These were the locking ratchet joints that we were using. The issue is that it is incredibly difficult to get the arms to connect to the joints. There were several arms that we broke in trying to slide them into place. Additionally, the joints are easy to move and lock easily, but the lock is not incredibly strong.
In the new joint design, the main focus was on the fit of the teeth and the connection to the arms. The surface area of the teeth was increased to increase the strength and to reduce the amount of wear on them. Being able to screw the arms in as opposed to permenantly attatching them allows the nurse to change the length of the arm attached to the mount without having to get a fully new mount. Aditionally, it makes the assembaly of the mount significantly easier.