Fieldwork Orthosis

As part of my masters degree curriculum, I took a class within the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation called Augmented Human Dexterity. Along with lecutres focusing on creating assistive technology, I was invovled in a semester long project. In a group of three, I interviewed a research scientist and created an assistive device tailored to their specific needs. After analyzing the interview data and an iterative design process, my group created a fieldwork orthosis.

Environmental scientists and marine biologists often work in various ecological communities such as wetlands, grasslands, and forests. These settings have difficult terrains that individuals must work in to conduct fieldwork. As a result, it is difficult for researchers to retrieve samples for analysis because different ecosystems require different methods of removal. A common tool for retrieving mud samples is polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. However, given the terrain is near frozen when collecting data, individuals must exert large forces on the PVC to push the instrument through the mud. Researchers also use their hands and fingers to help the PVC pipe dig into the soil. Large compressive forces are exerted onto the user's joints, which can lead to potential injuries over time. In order to reduce the risk of injury, our group created a prototype glove that enables researchers to more easily collect mud samples.

Our prototype was showcased at the Jacobs Design Showcase in May along with other projects and was awarded "Most Compelling Scientific Study". Additionally, my team created a technical report using OverLeaf summarizing the stakeholder analysis and design process.