designing for metal additive manufacturing a case study in the professional sports equipment field

Abstract In this paper, we discuss the possibilities available as well as the challenge to be faced when designing for metal additive manufacturing through the description of an application of the Selective Laser Melting technology within the professional sports equipment field. We describe the redesign activity performed on the cam system of a compound bow, starting from the analysis of the functional, manufacturing and assembly constraints till the strategies applied to guarantee the printability of the object. This activity has thus provided the opportunity to analyse the difficulties currently encountered by practitioners when designing for additive manufacturing due to the lack of integrated design approaches and the high number of aspects that need to be simultaneously taken into account when performing design choices

Auxetic structures used in kinesiology tapes can improve form-fitting and personalization

Each year 65% of young athletes and 25% of physically active adults suffer from at least one musculoskeletal injury that prevents them from continuing with physical activity, negatively influencing their physical and mental well-being. The treatment of musculoskeletal injuries with the adhesive elastic kinesiology tape (KT) decreases the recovery time. Patients can thus recommence physical exercise earlier. Here, a novel KT based on auxetic structures is proposed to simplify the application procedure and allow personalization. This novel KT exploits the form-fitting property of auxetics as well as their ability to simultaneously expand in two perpendicular directions when stretched. The auxetic contribution is tuned by optimizing the structure design using analytical equations and experimental measurements. A reentrant honeycomb topology is selected to demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach. Prototypes of auxetic KT to treat general elbow pains and muscle tenseness in the forearm are developed

Palliative short-course radiotherapy (RAPASH study) in patients with rectal cancer

Background: Palliative radiation therapy (RT) is used to treat symptomatic rectal cancer although clinical benefits and toxicities are poorly documented. There is no consensus about the optimal RT regimen and clinical practice undergoes significant changes. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of short-course (SC) RT in this setting of patients. Materials and methods: Charts from patients with locally advanced disease not candidates for standard treatment or with symptomatic metastatic rectal cancer treated with SCRT (25 Gy/5 fractions in 5 consecutive days) were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical outcome measures were symptomatic response rate and toxicity. Results: From January 2007 to December 2017, 59 patients (median age 80 years) received SCRT; 53 were evaluable. The median follow-up was 8 months (range, 1–70). Clinical response to RT for bleeding, pain and tenesmus was 100%, 95% and 89%, respectively. The compliance with the treatment was 100% and no patient experienced acute severe (≥ grade 3) toxicities. Median time to symptoms recurrence was 11 months (range 3-69). Globally, the median overall survival was 12 months. Conclusions: SCRT is a safe and effective regimen in symptomatic rectal cancer and may be considered the regimen of choice for standard treatment in unfit patients

The sensorimotor Dimension of the Networked Flow: an Exploratory Study Using an Interactive Collaborative Platform

The ability to cooperate with another individual in order to achieve a shared goal is crucial for human survival and it is called joint action. It is noted that this process can originate when actors are synchronized at a sensorimotor level. However, experiential correlates of sensorimotor synchronization are nearly unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the experience of flow and social presence in a sensorimotor collaborative task. 12 female couples (mean age = 22.33; S.D. = .815) and 12 male couples (mean age = 22.88; S.D. = .789) were involved in a tower-building task across 10 consecutive trials using the COLLEGO platform. Couple members alternated their leader/follower role. Platform recorded time stamp (ms) and position of each selected object when it was picked/released, providing a measure of performance. Thereafter, participants’ level of flow (Flow State Scale) and social presence (Networked Minds Social Presence Inventory) were assessed. Flow and Social presence correlated positively at a global level. Having clear goals and perceiving a balance between challenges and skills were associated with a higher performance. The autotelic dimension of flow was negatively related with global performance. At the same time, task duration correlated negatively with cognitive and behavioral dimensions of social presence, but positively with emotional dimensions. Results are discussed in light of the Networked Flow model that assumes a strong positive link between social presence and flow at the base of the highest levels of collaborative performance

Sustainable Production in the Age of Mass Customization: an example in the Footwear Industry

It is well known that the global market is driving companies towards new productive paradigms oriented to product customization, agility and environmental sustainability. Companies have to face the problem of providing as much product variety as possible in order to rapidly satisfy a wide number of specific market segments. Even if the emerging automated agile production environments could enable them to manage product variety, in many productive fields, large waste streams, due to the practical difficulty of adapting the traditional production lines to product changes, are still present. At the same time a growing public concern for the environment, is forcing companies to investigate alternative uses for waste material. In this paper we present a practical example from the footwear industry in order to show how companies can successfully apply the concept of sustainable production taking into account the mass customization requirements but contemporarily reducing the material waste. The approach is focused on the combination in the same plant of two different production lines: one is dedicated to the primary production while the other uses the waste material to realize the secondary production

Exploring the Use of Virtual Reality to Support Environmentally Sustainable Behavior: A Framework to Design Experiences

The current and future challenges of sustainable development require a massive transformation of habits and behaviors in the whole society at many levels. This demands a change of perspectives, priorities, and practices that can only result from the development of more aware, informed, and instructed communities and individuals. The field of design for sustainable behavior is answering this need through the development of products, systems, and services to support the change of people’s habits and decision-making processes. In this regard, Virtual Reality (VR) is a promising tool: it has already been explored to drive sustainable behavior change in several situations, through a wide range of devices, technologies, and modalities. This variety provides uncountable opportunities to designers, but it comes with a series of ethical, psychological, and technical questions. Hence, VR developers should be able to distinguish and identify possible strategies, delivering suitable solutions for each case study. In this work, we present a framework for the development of VR experiences to support sustainable behavior change, based on a systematic review. We consider the various features to manage and possible alternatives when creating a VR experience, linking them to the behavioral aspects that can be addressed according to the project’s aim. The framework will provide designers with a tool to explore and orient themselves towards possible sets of optimal choices generating tailored solutions

A step-based framework to combine creativity, project management and technical development in industrial innovation

Since the assessment of the novelty, feasibility and value of new product ideas is highly subjective and uncertain, it is hard for companies to come up with a final product which successfully embodies customer needs, as well as company requirements. The major goal of this study is to propose a design and managerial step-based framework, moving from idea generation until the early steps of concept embodiment. Russian Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, together with multicriteria-based selection methods are employed. A case study from the household appliances industry is presented, discussing how to guide technical solutions implementation in new product ideas