Meta Mecha Protetyske Foering by Xuerong Cai

Meta Mecha Protetyske Foering by Xuerong Cai is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award yn Izer in Sibernetika, Prothese en Ymplantaat Ûntwerp Competition Category.

IzerSibernetika· 2023

Meta Mecha Protetyske Foering

by Xuerong Cai

Client: Meta Mecha

A' Design Award yn Izer Winner in Sibernetika Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Meta Mecha Protetyske Foering

Meta Mecha is in protetyske sokketferoering makke fan mechanyske metamaterialen. De foering wurdt generearre út in 3D-scan fan it restlidmaat en út druk gegevens dy't ferzammele binne ûnder it rinnen, sadat it mechanyske oerflak persoanlike medyske easken folget. Meta Mecha wurdt 3D-printe yn elastyske TPU op yndustriële printers. In druksensityf materiaal feroaret fan kleur as de druk de tolerânsjegrins oerskriuwt, wêrmei't it de brûker sjen lit dat de foering ferfongen wurde moat. Ferfanging is ienfâldich en ekonomysk, en it stipet de geliedlike fervorming fan it restlidmaat.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award yn Izer

Meta Mecha Protetyske Foering is in winner fan de A' Design Award yn Izer, in prestisjeuze erkenning foar goede ûntwerpen dy't foldogge oan de profesjonele en yndustriële easken dy't ferwachte wurde fan goed ûntwurpen skeppings. Izerwinners litte grutte feardigens, hege spesjalisaasje, deskundich begryp en kreatyf fermogen fan har makkers sjen. Fan Meta Mecha Protetyske Foering wurdt ferwachte dat it in tige heech achte, bewûndere en dierbere skepping is dy't praktysk en ynnovatyf is. Dit winnende ûntwerp fan de A' Design Award yn Izer yntegrearret de bêste praktiken fan de sektor en hat feardige technyske skaaimerken ferbûn mei kennis en talint. Meta Mecha Protetyske Foering wurdt respektearre foar syn yngeandens en is ûntwurpen om ferbetteringen fan de kwaliteit fan it libben te leverjen dy't helpe de wrâld ta in bettere plak te meitsjen.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: With 3D printable mechanical metamaterials as the prosthetic liner, Meta Mecha makes it possible to customize mechanical surfaces for different amputees according to personalized medical requirements.
The pressure sensitive color-changing material provides visualization of the unsuitability and draws attention.
The prosthetic liner can be replaced to support the deformation process of residual limb. The user can update their mechanical surface inside the prosthetic in a simple and economical way.
Dimensions & Packaging: Width 136mm*Depth 139mm*Height 175mm
(The dimensions of prosthetic liner should differ from user to user, above is an example of our case)
Tags: Prosthetic socket liner, Customized design, 3D print, Computational design
Production Technology: The mechanical metamaterial prosthetic liner is 3D printed with industrial quality 3D printers and elastic TPU. It is impossible to manufacture the complex 3D shape without additive manufacturing technology.
3D scanning and pressure sensor equipment are used before the design process to acquire the shape and mechanical requirements of amputees.
Generative design approach is used to generate design with customized requirements. In our prototype, we use Grasshopper to generate our design.
Design Challenge: It is a challenge for us to understand the logic and process of editing mechanical metamaterial. We have referred to many papers and interviewed a metamaterial specialist in our university and finally managed to arrange the structure unit on a prosthetic liner by using Grasshopper and plugins. Another challenge emerges when we try to prototype the product with 3D printing. It took us a while to find an industrial 3D printing laboratory that can use TPU to print the complex structure of metamaterial.
Research: We had looked through papers on mechanical metamaterials, medical requirements on prosthetic and computational design to understand how to apply metamaterials in the prosthesis field. We then had conversations with a metamaterial specialist to verify our idea. We also printed out ten little blocks with metamaterial structure to experiment on different mechanical properties.
Inspiration: The future trend of computational design draws our attention to programmable matter and metamaterial. We are surprised to find its potential to empower design with material science and motivated to reconsider objects in microscopic logic.
With generative design and simulation tools, we propose application of metamaterial in the prosthetic field, offering both customized and medically compliant service.
Project Duration: The project started in October 2021 in Shanghai, the first prototype was exhibited in D&I Shanghai in December 2021. An educational exhibition based on the project was shown in Shanghai Dyson Ideation Lab from February.
Operation Flow: Users first get residual limb 3D scanning and walk in a common socket to collect his pressure distribution data. A 3D model of metamaterial prosthetic liner is generated based on the data collected and medical requirements. After the prosthetic liner is 3D printed, it will be assembled with other parts of the prosthesis and delivered to the user. The prosthetic liner adjusts the best pressure level for the user and warns the user when pressure exceeds tolerance limits by color change. With the visual cue, the user can understand it's time to replace the liner to fit his residual limb deformation.
Team Members: Longyu Gong
Ruikun Pan
Xuerong Cai
Yanyun Wu
Image Credits: Images: Xuerong Cai, Ruikun Pan, Yanyun Wu, Longyu Gong