Quick Disconnect Prosthetic

grabcad

On April 9th, our project at 49ers SLI's Juan Cabrillo Middle School received an Honorable Mention at Synopsys Science Fair and we were invited to present at Silicon Valley Comic-Con. We created a light saber adapter for the event. Our goal was to develop a quick disconnect prosthesis to simplify everyday tasks for amputees, using a drill chuck system for interchangeable attachments. To prototype our idea, we used a water bottle as a body-powered prosthetic and designed an adapter for its cap. We 3D printed various attachments and attached hex bits in numerous ways. Our functional prototype allowed users to change attachments by adjusting tension on a string connected to the drill chuck. For the stylus holder, we used a conductive wire from the stylus to our upper arm. We'd like to thank Brian Burkhardt and Seth Hills (Rehab Engineers, VA Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia) for their feedback. Our project also includes an article on prosthetic arms history written by Jason for our school newsletter. Credits go to Quick Disconnect Interface (Snappy Tools), the creator of paddle design (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1353376/#files), and shovel design (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:112525).