Human centred design for a new generation of prosthetics for active use – knee joint

世界上约0.5%的人口需要假肢，超过3.5亿人需要假肢，其中大部分在发展中国家。每年约有35万例新的膝盖以上腿部截肢，其中1800例在英国。我们的愿景是制造一种重量轻、性能高、价格实惠的假肢，以满足世界各地活跃的儿童和成年人的需求。3B Impact与创新公司合作，扩展解决方案，以应对社会挑战。我们在提供早期资助和私人投资者资助的创新和商业化方面有着良好的记录。我们成立了剑桥假体创新有限公司(CPIL)，拥有一位经验丰富的材料科学家和终身假肢佩戴者，以及剑桥大学医院NHS基金会信托基金的一位领先的康复顾问。他们对日益昂贵和复杂的设备无法满足用户的需求感到失望，并着手创造新一代假肢，这些假肢更多功能、更可靠、更实惠，在英国和世界各地都可以买到。在国家健康研究所的资助下，CPIL和3B Impact之前开发了一种复制自然运动的概念膝盖，比现有的解决方案更多功能、成本更低。我们还与与英国和发展中国家的假肢使用者合作的慈善机构以及谢菲尔德大学健康与相关研究学院建立了牢固的关系。资金将带来生物力学和以人为中心的设计专业知识，以建立在这一概念的基础上，特别是：1.通过专家数字建模和模拟显著改进我们的设计，2.与利益相关者接触，并带来以人为中心的设计专业知识，以加深我们对用户需求和行为的理解，并进一步改进我们的设计。制造一种新的原型，准备与试验组一起测试，以及4。评估市场并规划我们的商业化路线。我们的解决方案对假肢采取了一种完全不同的方法，本质上是以人为中心的。首先，在制造商目前认为儿童是一个小而困难的市场的地方，我们将他们视为积极生活方式的起点。我们的假肢设计用于跑步、跳跃、系鞋带、盘腿坐着、洗澡以及在海滩和海里玩耍，而不需要切除或更换腿。没有其他假体是为这些活动而设计的，无论成本如何。其次，现有制造商希望增加成本和复杂性，试图复制自然运动，我们的解决方案使用巧妙的设计和现代材料来产生自然运动的力量。与其说是一只笨重的机器人月球靴，不如说是一双运动鞋。

Around 0.5% of the world's population require a prosthetic leg, over 350 million people, mostly in developing countries. Each year there are around 350,000 new above- knee leg amputations, 1,800 in the UK. Our vision is to build a lightweight, high-performing, affordable prosthetic knee to meet the needs of active children and adults worldwide.3B Impact works with innovative companies to scale solutions to social challenges. We have a strong record delivering early-stage grant and private investor-funded innovation and commercialisation.We established Cambridge Prosthetics Innovations Limited (CPIL) with an experienced materials' scientist and lifelong prosthetics wearer, and a leading rehabilitation consultant at Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. They were frustrated with the increasingly expensive and complex devices that fail to meet users' needs and set out to create a new generation of prosthetic limbs that are more versatile, reliable, affordable and available in the UK and worldwide.With National Institute of Health Researchfunding, CPIL and 3B Impact have previously developed a concept knee that replicates natural movement and is more versatile and lower cost than existing solutions. We have also established strong relationships with charities that work with prosthetics users in the UK and in developing countries, and with the University of Sheffield's School of Health and Related Research.The funding will bring biomechanical and human-centred design expertise to build on this concept, specifically to:1. significantly improve our design through expert digital modelling and simulations,2. engage with stakeholders and bring human-centred design expertise to deepen our understanding of user needs and behaviours and further improve our design3. manufacture a new prototype ready for testing with a pilot group, and4. assess the market and plan our route to commercialisation.Our solution takes a radically different approach to prosthetics that is inherently human-centred. First, where currently manufacturers see children as a small, difficult market, we see them as a starting point for an active lifestyle. Our prosthetics are designed for running, jumping, tying shoelaces, sitting cross-legged, showering, and playing on the beach and in the sea, without needing to remove or change the leg. No other prosthetic is designed for these activities, regardless of cost. Second, where existing manufacturers look to increase costs and complexity to try to replicate natural movement, our solution uses clever designs and modern materials to generate the forces for natural movement. More like a sports shoe than a heavy, robotic moon boot.