Additive manufacturing in bespoke interactive devices-a thematic analysis

Additive Manufacturing (AM) facilitates product development due to the various native advantages of AM when compared to traditional manufacturing processes. Efficiency, customisation, innovation, and ease of product modifications are a few advantages of AM. This manufacturing process can therefore be applied to fabricate customisable devices, such as bespoke interactive devices for rehabilitation purposes. In this context, a two-day workshop titled Design for Additive Manufacturing: Future Interactive Devices (DEFINED) was held to discuss the design for AM issues encountered in the development of an innovative bespoke controller and supporting platform, in a Virtual Reality (VR)-based environment, intended for people with limited dexterity in their hands. The workshop sessions were transcribed, and a thematic analysis was carried out to identify the main topics discussed. The themes were Additive Manufacturing, Generative Design Algorithms, User-Centred Design, Measurement Devices for Data Acquisition, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Haptics. These themes were then discussed in relation to the available literature. The main conclusion of this workshop was that a coherent design for AM tools is needed by designers to take AM considerations throughout the design process, since they lack the AM knowledge required to develop bespoke interactive devices

An axiomatic design methodology for manufacturing process selection based on multi-user requirements mapping

The fundamental principles of Axiomatic Design involve the systematic analysis, evaluation and transformation of customer needs into product functions with the scope of deriving a set of design parameters and process variables. This paper presents a novel methodology based on the application of axiomatic design theory, with the aim of supporting manufacturing process selection by considering the technological capabilities during manufacturing and the functional requirements of the artefact in hand. The proposed model integrates both functional and non-functional requirements by mapping various stakeholder needs. A case study for a release-buckle mechanism used in a rehabilitation device is presented. Results of an initial qualitative evaluation with medical device designers provide a degree of evidence that the proposed methodology is useful during process selection activities.peer-reviewe

Proceedings of the Design Society

Understanding the viewpoint of clinicians in a healthcare setting is a vital task to comprehend the success of patients undergoing physical rehabilitation. Addressing user experience is an essential activity which designers undertake when formulating product specifications at the early stages of product design. The involvement of clinicians during the product use-phase influences the progress and achievements attained by the patients throughout their rehabilitation journey. Several clinicians (n=16) were asked to participate in a qualitative study to evaluate the performance of different personae in activities of daily living. The experiences of patients who use rehabilitation products as part of their therapy session at the clinic were evaluated. Based on this evaluation, a set of clinician requirements were formulated to reflect the overall experience when using rehabilitation products. Understanding these requirements brought about several implications to be considered during the design cycle. Through these considerations and by adopting a user-centred design approach, designers are in a better position to design innovative products targeted at providing a high-quality user experience which increases customer satisfaction.peer-reviewe

A novel user-centred framework for the holistic design of therapeutic medical devices

Numerous and complex sequence of activities in medical device development often result in time consuming and expensive engineering processes. In this study, patient and designer requirements were identified and integrated within a novel framework which supports medical device design through a consolidated understanding of user-experience whilst directly coalescing the applicable regulatory requirements in terms of product compliance and certification. This assists in the development of safe and reliable products which reflect the need for increased usability considerations during design.peer-reviewe

Proceedings of the Design Society

Research funded projects are often concerned with the development of proof-of-concept products. Consequently, activities related to verification and validation testing (VVT) are often not considered in depth, even though various design iterations are carried out to refine an idea. Furthermore, the introduction of additive manufacturing (AM) has facilitated, in particular, the development of bespoke medical products. End bespoke products, which will be used by relevant stakeholders (e.g. patients and clinicians) are fabricated with the same manufacturing technologies used during prototyping. As a result, the detailed design stage of products fabricated by AM is much shorter. Therefore, to improve the market-readiness of bespoke medical devices, testing must be integrated within the development from an early stage, allowing better planning of resources. To address these issues, in this paper, a comprehensive VVT framework is proposed for research projects, which lack a VVT infrastructure. The framework builds up on previous studies and methods utilised in industry to enable project key experts to capture risks as early as the concept design stage.peer-reviewe