Project by: Olivia DeTraglia (9th Grade)
Project Advisor: Kelly O’Shea
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): Kelly O’Shea

For my honors project, I designed a prosthetic finger on online CAD software and 3D printed it and created a functioning joint system. During middle school, I started my designs for a finger, but the joints didn’t work as well as I had hoped. I want to take it on this year so that I can improve my knowledge in this area of anatomy and in engineering. I hope to learn about the different types of joints and bones in the human hand and how they work together. I would also like to improve my skill in CAD software.

Reflection:

This trimester, I worked on designing, 3d printing, and testing a prosthetic finger. I started off by sketching out designs for the prosthetic and using average finger measurements to determine the length and widths that I would make it. I used a program called PTC Creo 5 and after I was finished designing it, I printed the first prototype. After printing the 3 different parts I realized that the joints hadn’t assembled how I wanted them to and they bent at the wrong angles. I then redesigned them and fixed the angles and printed it again. After I knew that they joint worked, I added in holes for strings that would act like tendons to bend and extend the finger. I then added the string and worked with a motor to robotize the finger. I haven’t finished adding the robotic part to the project yet, but I have started working with the code.

Finger design:

Video of the joints moving:

IMG_1638.TRIM-1lqtsjh

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ORIGINAL PROPOSAL

Critical thinking, creativity, citizenship and courage are essential LREI learning values. Explain how you’ll draw on at least one of these values to complete your proposed project?

I think that I could and will draw on all of these values to complete my proposed project, but mainly on citizenship and creativity. This project is all about creating prosthetics that would allow people without limbs, to do things that they would usually use. I think that that idea ties into the value of citizenship, while creativity would be used in creating the most unique and useful prosthetics.

What is your proposed outcome? How will you be able to demonstrate successful completion of this Project? How do you plan to share your learnings with the larger LREI community (e.g., exhibit of work, poster of learnings, performance, etc.)?

On a finished level, this project will be at least one 3D printed finger with bendable joints. I will be able to demonstrate successful completion of this project by accomplishing that finger. I could share my learning of this project through a poster of my process and the display of the finger.

Please provide a general outline that indicates your work plan for the trimester? What are some of the key project benchmarks (i.e., goals that will help to ensure that you finish the project)?

This trimester I will have to design the entire bone parts of the fingers on the CAD software, find a way to move the joints, print the fingers, and assemble them with the joint mechanism. Some key project benchmarks would be finishing the CAD design and finding the right way to ensure the movement of the joints.

When do you plan on meeting?
Friday 1st Lunch