COMPOSITE MATERIALS

Mechan ica l Eng ineer ing

U N I V E R S I T Y o f D E L AWA R E

Background & Motivation

PlaySkin Air – Garment Based Exoskeleton for Upper Body SupportPlaySkin Air – Garment Based Exoskeleton for Upper Body SupportJessica Doyle, Alison Marcozzi, Gabe Szczepanek, Chelsea ThompsonJessica Doyle, Alison Marcozzi, Gabe Szczepanek, Chelsea ThompsonInfant Behavior Motor Lab, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716Infant Behavior Motor Lab, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716

Final Concept Concept Validation

Design Metrics

Project Scope

• PlaySkin Air Final Design:• Accordion arm lift design: air bladder inside

cotton-laminated accordion• User-control system: electrical pack that

contains the batteries, circuit board and series of air pumps that connects to fabric buttons for easy use

Performance Summary & Path Forward• Based on the metric testing, this is a valid design and should

be continued• PlaySkin Air satisfied all of the metrics except for the

shoulder flexion angle and the maximum distance from the body

• A Generation 2 model will be made to meet some of the shortcomings of Generation 1, PlaySkin Air, see below:

• The use of a stronger pump to provide a higher pressure to lift the arm

• Improved heat sealing technique to create 3-dimensional shaped bladder

• The long term goal for this design is to patent the design and have it mass produced by a manufacturer and distributed via the Infant Motor Behavior Lab.

Acknowledgements• Dr. Michele Lobo, Infant Motor Behavior Lab, University of Delaware• Dr. Jennifer Buckley, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of

Delaware• Department of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware

• Arthrogryposis and various palsies are diseases known to cause voluntary muscle weakness

• Children born with arm weakness have difficulty lifting their arms against gravity

• Beneficial to create an improved exoskeleton to facilitate rehabilitation and stimulate child learning

• Previous exoskeletons: WREX, PlaySkin LiftTM

• Limitations of these designs:

• To develop a user-controlled, wearable device to assist children with upper body motor deficiencies in lifting their arms to interact with their environment.

Metric Want Description Target ValueShoulder Flexion Functionality Garment should assist

shoulder flexion0-135 +/- 5 °

Variable Set Points Functionality The arms should be lifted to variable set points

Number of set points > 1

Inflation Speed Functionality Garment should move controllably and move smoothly

Speed < 8°/s2

Elbow Flexion Functionality Allow elbow flexion to prevent stiffness

> 75% Unrestricted

Shoulder Abduction Functionality Prevent shoulder from performing non-anatomical movements

> 75% Unrestriction

Parental Assistance User-controlled Child should require little assistance while wearing the garment

0 parents involvement

Ease of Control User-controlled Child should be able to easily press the control

Easy to Use

Maximum distance from the body

Low Profile Garment should not be obtrusive or bulky

Distance from body < 2’’

Figure 1: Frontal view of complete design of PlaySkin Air including the deflated accordion (right arm), inflated accordion (left arm), user-control (left wrist) and electrical pack around waist.

Figure 2: Electrical pack that contains series of four air pumps (left) and batteries and circuit board (right).

Figure 3: Posterior View of design that includes the inflated air bladder (left) connected with tubing to the electrical belt (bottom).

WREX•Hard, Bulky, Tethered•Expensive

PlaySkin LiftTM

•No User Control•One Set Point