Prosthetic Arm Force Reducer Team 1 – Halliday's ... - Ohio University

Another sector that has aided in our design is from the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation
(BVR) specifically George Platounaris. The BVR is comprised of councilors who provide
services leading to employment for people with physical and mental disabilities. Through
George and his staff engineers he has confirmed that our design is well suited for our target
customer, very marketable, and usable. This feedback is based on several customers that George
and other councilors have worked with in the past.
One other sector that has directed our design is from manufacturers of terminal devices,
especially Otto Bock. Through contact with Otto Bock we have realized that our initial vector
hook idea (having multiple resistive force settings) was not a new idea and that the very simple
yet effective system they were using was the culmination of a lot of engineering and customer
feedback.
7.0.9 DFMA
When exploring the design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA) for the mechanical
advantage module it is important to design each component based upon its manufacturability,
dimensions, material, functionality, machinability, and other assembly considerations. By
considering all of those items it will help to ensure a simple but yet effective design. Our module
can be broken down into four parts as seen in Figure 7.0.9.
1
Ax
3
Figure 7.0.9 – Mechanical Advantage Solid Edge Model
1 = Hoops, 2 = Pulley, 3 = Tracks, 4 = Axle
Part #1 – Hoops: There will be two hoops that will encase the entire mechanical advantage
module. The hoop closer to the hook is the “wrist” hoop, and one further back is the “elbow”
hoop. Hoops were chosen over square tubing due to the circular shape of the interior of the
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