DLab Prosthesis: August 2012

Aris' Ideas

Aris, a prosthetic technician came to visit me in Managua and we tested out the vac-casting idea. He experimented with me and gave me feedback in what he would like in a vacuum casting kit. He liked the idea of using a vacuum to make a mold but thought a bucket would work better than a plastic bag. (he didn't like the plastic bag shells). He also thought that the plastic bag was not flexible enough, so we got plastic garbage bags. We tested out the plastic garbage bag, and bucket system with some coffee and it was too hard to insert a leg without modifying the shape of the stump. To make the coffee soft (sauve) Aris wanted to blow air in. We did this and the coffee blew up into our faces because the air wasn't distributed enough. Aris and Alejandro went to buy sand to try with a heavier material, sand. The sand was heavier, but the air still didn't loosen the sand enough to make it soft enough. We decided to try out the mold anyways, so Aris stuck his hand in the bucket and took the negative mold and then used the plaster to make the positive. The hand turned out well and Aris didn't seem very concerned with the wrinkles.

Timing the plaster

Aris pouring the plaster

The molded hand

Anna with the hand

Pouring the plaster

the empty hole where his hand was

Close up of the hole

Aris hand in the hole

Another view of the hole

before the vacuum is turned on

Aris hand in the hole again

The empty bucket with the sand

Playing with the sand

trying to find the soft spot

more coffee makes it heavier, lets extend the bucket

Alejandro playing with the bucket

Making the bucket taller

-Annie

In Nicaragua

I'll finish this post later but I wanted to get some pictures up quickly :)

Sorry it's been so long that I posted. The last few days have been pretty hectic leading up to my Nicaragua trip. I left yesterday morning and was able to spend most of the day at the hotel and then later at a lagoon and wandering a tourist city. The next day we spent a full day at the lab and I was able to work on my prototypes.

The lab/classroom space with lots of solar autoclave work going on.

Breakfast :)

Anna, Alejandro, me, Sam, and Charles at the lagoon

Unpacking my prototype

View of the lagoon

Lunch

(sorry for all the food pictures in with the Vacuum Casting project, but its really yummy)

-Annie

Plaster Adventure

Aris Reyes came in to Managua to see my prototype and give me feed back. He is a prosthetics technician in Nicaragua who makes prosthetics for patients and then teaches them how to use them. The first thing he did was say the the coffee may not be flexible enough and that blowing air in might help and we set up the vacuum to blow. My prototype was not designed for that and one of the seams ripped. It was okay though because Aris wanted to use a bucket instead of the bag. We went next door to Sinsa to get plaster, a bucket and a rubber band. We got a garage bucket and gloves which we cut the elastic out of to make a rubber band, but we didn't get any plaster. The fastest plaster they sold dried in 45 min, which Aris said was too long. We then went to the market to pick up some plaster from someone Aris knew.

The guy who we meet turned out to make prosthetics himself in a shop in the market. He had been making prosthetics for 30 years. He started during the civivl war in the 80's when he would have 200 patients a month. The guy said that he makes 2 prosthetics a week, each one costing $500. 70% of that cost he says is materials. Materials include the plastic socket which is the hardest part to make because it need to be heated up to 350 degrees C. He also said that most patients have to come back within the first week because it is uncomfortable.