Adjustable Arm Support

People suffering from neurological and muscle diseases like ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, MS (Multiple sclerosis) and others often face difficulty in lifting and moving their arms against gravity. Due to limited arm movements patients suffering from the

Project Title

Adjustable Arm Support

Project Area of Specialization

Biomedical Engineering

Project Summary

People suffering from neurological and muscle diseases like ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, MS (Multiple sclerosis) and others often face difficulty in lifting and moving their arms against gravity. Due to limited arm movements patients suffering from these diseases face difficulty in performing their daily routine tasks (like eating, writing, computer work etc.) and as a result become isolated, excluded and dependent. To overcome this problem, we have developed an adjustable arm support that help patients with limited arm movements to perform their activities of daily living (ADL) freely and independently. Our project is based on mechanical based system consisting of three moveable links on its base, an extension spring and a table clamp. Our project consists of three adjustable features in it, one is the adjustment of links in order to adjust height and area of working space according to user's need, second is the adjustment of length of elbow rest and position of arm cup according to the length of user’s arm, and the third is the adjustment of the stiffness of spring according to force requirement.Our project allows users to perform movements like medial and lateral rotation at shoulder and flexion and extension at the elbow. The user makes the movements him/herself, using the strength he/she’s got left. Our aim is not only to design and locally manufacture such high cost and less available arm supports in low income and developing countries like Pakistan but also to create awareness in patients suffering from the above types of diseases regarding the use of such type of assistive devices.

Project Objectives

Designing of an assistive device that facilitates arm function in activities of daily living (ADL) for people with reduced muscle strength.

Project Implementation Method

Literature Review: Research on available mechanisms and designs used in arm support in the literature and market.

Designing: CAD designing of arm support on Solidworks software and perform stress analysis to optimize the result.

Manufacturing: Local manufacturing of prototype on Aluminium material using CNC machine.

Prototype Testing: Testing of prototype in various simulated environments and subjects after obtaining ethical approval.

Benefits of the Project

The adjustable arm support will be beneficial for maintaining user's arm movement by supporting the arm against gravity.Therefore, the user will have more independence and as a result the load on the caregiver will be reduced thereby reducing the overall healthcare cost.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The technical details of adjustable arm support are discussed below:

• The final prototype of the adjustable arm support can be mounted on any flat surface such as table, wheelchair, chair, and slab etc.
• It will support movement at shoulder joint (medial and lateral rotation) as well as at the elbow joint (flexion and extension).
• Our project consists of three adjustable features in it, one is the adjustment of links in order to adjust height and area of working space according to user's need, second is the adjustment of length of elbow rest and position of arm cup according to the length of user’s arm, and the third is the adjustment of the stiffness of spring according to force requirement.

Final Deliverable of the Project

Hardware System

Core Industry

Medical

Other Industries

Health

Core Technology

Others

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being for People, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com