Orthoses and mobility aids assisted by generative manufacturing (rapid prototyping) process - RaProErgo

The aim of this project, which was approved for the Upper Austrian Tender 2015 – Medical Technology (Health care, ageing society), is the development of orthoses for people with limited mobility. The focus lies on producing customized prototypes for a mouth stick through 3D print for people with severe physical impairments. These mouth sticks should be individually adjusted to suit the user and facilitate every day activities. It enables them to use a computer, turn the newspaper pages themselves, use smart phones and tablets et others.

Generative manufacturing processes, such as 3D-print, are an efficient method to produce medical models. The application of this method requires the availability of suitable virtual models. Such models comprise the essential technical- as well as the medical aspects. In order to address the individual needs and demands of the users and/or in order to develop customized orthoses and mobility aids, close cooperation with occupational therapists, gender- and diversity researchers as well as technicians is required. In occupational therapy meaningful activities, environmental adaptation and mentoring are used in a goal and resource-oriented manner, in order to empower people in the performance of meaningful activities in the fields of self-maintenance, productivity and leisure and rest in response to the demands of their environment.

For this purpose occupational therapists together with gender and diversity researchers analyse – in close cooperation with the users – their activities in certain everyday situations and environmental conditions. In this project the project partners are developing a comprehensive methodology for the development of orthoses and mobility aids and implementing them at the company partners, at the same time the prototypes- such as e.g. the mouth stick – are developed and produced.

• Project team: Gerda Estl, MSc OT
• Research entity: Occupational Therapy
• Partners: Institute of Polymer Product Engineering – Johannes Kepler University Linz,
  Competence Network Information Technology to Support the Integration of People with Disabilities (KI-I), Institute for Women’s Studies and Gender Research – Johannes Kepler University Linz, Bandagist Heindl GmbH, EVO-tech GmbH

Publications:

• Gerda Estl (2018): RaProErgo – Rapid Prototyping in Occupational Therapy, Developing a customized mouth stick in 3D print. Poster Präsentation COHEHRE Conference 28. – 20. April 2018, Ghent.
• Gerda Estl (2017): MUNDSTAB AUS DEM 3D-DRUCKER – Hilfsmittel ermöglichen bedeutungsvolle Betätigungen RaProErgo – Anwendung von Rapid Prototyping in der Ergotherapie. Poster Präsentation VDEÖ Fachtagung 24./25. März 2017, Wien.
• Gerda Estl, Veronika Berger (2017): RaProErgo: Rapid Prototyping in der Ergotherapie. Präsentation Forschungsfrühstück FH Gesundheitsberufe Oberösterreich, Mai 2017, Linz.
• Lisa Wesp, Waldtraud Ernst (2016): Generative Fertigung in der Ergotherapie – Participatory Design. Präsentation IKT Forum, Session Technik und Lebensqualität 11. Juli 2016, Linz.
• Veronika Berger, Gerhard Nussbaum (2016): Generative Fertigung in der Ergotherapie – Technische Aspekte eines Mundstabes. Präsentation IKT Forum, Session Technik und Lebensqualität, 11. Juli 2016, Linz.