Project Description:
Our project is sponsored by Sierra Nevada Corporation, a security contractor in the aerospace industry that has experts in manufacturing. People with limb amputations have to wear sockets that connect their residual limb to a prosthetic. This socket can not emulate the various load transferring tissues in a real limb. Particularly the rigidity of the socket means amputees often feel sore after prolonged use. Our project attempts to use jamming materials to allow for a shape-changing socket. Jamming materials are materials filled with fine particles that are deformable when at atmospheric conditions, but become rigid under a vacuum. Our team made various prototypes attempting to make and incorporate these jamming materials into a socket to see if they can alleviate some of the discomfort for real users.
Project Photo:
Our final socket is shown, as well as the tubing, valve, and pump required to use the socket.