Biomechanics
Engineering + Athletics
Academic Project Example
Gait Naturalizing Prosthetic:
Concept Creation, Research, Design, and Analysis
Project Description:
• Open ended group project
• Design an original device with at least five unique parts to solve a problem of interest
• Must include applicable FEA on the device to aide in determining how reasonable it is for everyday usage or if it is marketable
• Use photo-rendering as an application to make the device aesthetically pleasing to potential investors and generate a pitch for buyers with knowledge within the field of the proposed product
Results:
• My group accepted my idea to design a prosthetic foot idea I had come up with on my own and develop it into a more reasonable product
• I was able to explore SolidWorks and use experiments that played towards the aesthetic, yet unreasonable and overly safe and generic to come up with a desirable median.
• Developed a better sense of teamwork while working on a project that started out entirely my idea, and evolved into a collaborative effort to conserve resources, cost, and production time while maximizing desired results
• Developed a strong understanding on the FEA and photo-rendering applications available within SolidWorks
• Became recognized on campus as a resource for visual communication in engineering applications and have been offered three Teaching Assistant positions within the College of Engineering since the project
Dates: February-May 2010
Class: Computer Aided Design and Manufacture Using CAD and FEA (ENG ME407)
Group Members:
David Lessard Team Leader
Lacey Mannex Design Coordinator
Ana Pelucarte Design Specialist
Samantha MacDougall Biomedical Specialist
Programs/Tools Used:
SolidWorks2009
COSMOSWorks (SolidWorks FEA application)
PhotoWorks (SolidWorks photo-rendering application)
