The Design and Technology Lab is a joint venture between the Industrial Design Programme at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and the Product Development Group of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ). The Lab is a cross-university education and research platform dedicated to interdisciplinary innovation projects.

An Interchangeable Prosthetic System for Long Stump Amputees

Long Limbs Prosthetics

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An Interchangeable Prosthetic System for Long Stump Amputees

The Design and Technology Lab is a joint venture between the Industrial Design Programme at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and the Product Development Group of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ). The Lab is a cross-university education and research platform dedicated to interdisciplinary innovation projects.

The project has been commissioned by the International Committee of the Red Cross to further develop an existing prosthesis system for use in crisis areas. The goal of the project was the co-development of an existing prosthetic system by the ICRC for use in crisis areas. 
Long Limbs Prosthetics allows the simple replacement of worn or defective individual parts. The modular design enables adaptation to individual needs. The system consists of four components: a foot shell made of elastic polyurethane in various colours and sizes; a keel connecting the foot to the joint; an ankle joint connecting the keel to the actual leg prosthesis; and a heavy-duty nut inside the prosthesis.

Three questions to Vasili Skoromnik:

In your diploma project you are working together with a prospective mechanical engineer. How does this influence your work?

We bring two different, sometimes conflicting perspectives to each step of the project and we are not alone in the quarantine. Sometimes we have to weigh constructive questions against usability, sometimes questions of manufacturability against conceptual considerations. We bring together a lot of knowledge and have a good working rhythm, which is enormously valuable in the current exceptional situation.

What surprised you most about this interdisciplinary work?

That a mechanical engineer is so good at CAD! And that the prostheses of the ICRC are really low-tech and have to be. The technology is practically from the Stone Age: the most complex part is a screw. We develop a very simple and very cheap solution - a challenge for the design.

What is your goal as a designer?

It is important to me to be able to solve real problems. I'm not interested in designing beautiful things for consumption. I want to be able to work where it really burns, where there is a need - for example, where people depend on a cleverly designed prosthesis.

Gestaltung:
Studios Zürich, Basel

Umsetzung:
Neusicht

Copyright:
©DTL, 2016

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