Tag Archives: brace

3D printed elbow brace can be customized and created through an app

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3D printing has brought a lot of changes when it comes to designing products. It has made experimentation with various materials and prototyping these proposed designs easier and more efficient. We’re seeing a lot of concepts get past the initial product rendering stage just by utilizing various 3D printing techniques and tools that are now available and is constantly evolving.

Designer: Nils Sorger

The +/- Brace is one such concept for a pain relieving elbow brace that can be used when doing physical labor or any kind of sports that requires strenuous activity so you can minimize the risk of injury. It’s something that can be created and customized using an app. choosing your size, form, structure, and padding. The final product you created can then be fabricated on your own, ordered through the maker community, or ordered through the creator’s app platform.

The 3D printing and laser cutting machine is called Grasshopper with a custom built script so body measurements inputted can be used to generate the data output. They used various iterations to find the optimal pattern for the brace and ended up with the 4-way stretch softshell fabric which is made up of 49% Polyester, 30% Polyamide, 12% Polyurethane, and 9% Elasthan. This is the best one for breathability and flexibility as well as a comfortable and flexible fit so you can still do all the activities you need to do. For the additive, they also tested several FDM-printed pads and ended up with something that is like foam or gel.

After much prototyping, the +/- Brace ended up with an aesthetic that seems like a combination of a Bluetooth speaker and a honeycomb packaging. It looks pretty flexible and comfortable, which are important characteristics of this kind of product so the user will not really feel like the brace is hindering their movement. All thanks to the improvement and enhancement of the 3D printed fabric-based manufacturing plus open source process, they were able to conceptualize and actually prototype this kind of individualized brace that shouldn’t break the bank.

The post 3D printed elbow brace can be customized and created through an app first appeared on Yanko Design.

This exoskeleton-like back support lets you lift heavy objects while keeping your back safe

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If your work involves regularly carrying heavy things around, then your back is most likely one of your body parts that suffers. I don’t have a job that does that (does carrying a heavy bag every day count?) and yet I constantly feel all sorts of back aches. Well, maybe I’m just old. In any case, those who work in construction, warehouse production, and other industries where they have to carry heavy objects need to have literal support to help them manage their bones and joints.

Designer: Bebop Design

A Korean studio designed one such product for their client WIRobotics. WIBS is a wearable back support that’s created specifically for those who are involved in labor intensive industries which workers can wear while they’re doing their task or when they’re on a break. The brace was designed to not look so much like a brace but more to look like it’s part of your outfit and will not get in the way of doing your usual tasks. It also looks comfortable enough to regularly wear or at least when you need to have better support for your body.

WIBS is able to provide mechanical support to the user’s posterior, including the back and waist, two of the parts that are affected when you regularly lift heavy objects. While the materials are durable and designed to withstand pressure, they were able to use a soft design to it for the user’s comfort. There is also no need for electricity to use it so you can go around without needing to charge or change any battery. It uses tensioned flexible rubber composite as well as mechanical gears. You can adjust the strength level through an analog controller in the chest area.

This back support device can be adjusted to various sizes depending on the wearer as it has adjustable straps for the perfect fit. Think of it as a posterior brace that will not hinder movements but provide much needed support as you go about your regular tasks that involve lifting and moving heavy objects for a long period of time.

The post This exoskeleton-like back support lets you lift heavy objects while keeping your back safe first appeared on Yanko Design.

This “Beanbag With A Spine” Offers A More Comfortable, Classy Alternative to its Boring Predecessor

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The beanbag is almost an icon of the bachelor household. It’s cheap, comfortable, and adapts to any scenario. However, this has also tarnished the beanbag’s reputation as a furniture that just can’t be taken seriously. It isn’t classy, given that you won’t find it in the classiest of households… however Elena Prokhorova’s reinterpretation of the humble beanbag makes it the perfect addition to any swank coffee table. The Brace Lounge Chair is like a beanbag with an exoskeleton. Designed to give the otherwise ‘limp’ bag some structure, the Brace comes with a metal armature that wraps around the bag’s base and back, with harness straps holding the beanbag in place. The result is a lounge chair that’s the best of all worlds. It’s comfortable and adapts to your body, just the way you want… but at the same time, it has a unique blob-like structure that gives it a distinct silhouette, making it a perfect addition to any living room.

Designer: Elena Prokhorova

Drawing inspiration from the effortless style of the urban dweller, the Brace armchair effortlessly combines form and function to create a truly captivating seating experience. The soft seat is attached to the metal frame with the help of a belt-like accessory. To operate the chair, the user simply sits down on the soft seat and pulls the belt around the back of the frame, securing it in place with a carabiner.

The soft part of the Brace is made of foam with fabric upholstery, marking a slight deviation from the styrofoam-ball-filled beanbag. The base is made of a metal tube colored with a powder coating, while the strap that tethers the Brace into place comes made from leather, with eyelets and hooks that attach to the metal frame. The choice of fabric makes all the difference with the Brace’s aesthetic, and one could easily alter its appearance by switching between leather or velvet, or canvas, or even by alternating/swapping colors to create unique color schemes.

The Brace Lounge Chair is a Gold Winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2023.

The post This “Beanbag With A Spine” Offers A More Comfortable, Classy Alternative to its Boring Predecessor first appeared on Yanko Design.

“Airy” makes back braces more fashionable, comfortable, and sustainable

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One of the staples of Hollywood teen movies from the 80s and 90s is that one girl (or guy) who gets bullied or teased if they’re wearing a back brace for their scoliosis. Of course we all now know better (I hope) but the fact remains that these braces can be bulky and highly unfashionable. What’s more, they’re custom fit for users but teenagers, who are mostly affected by this condition, grow up fast so they are quickly outgrown. But the past years, we’re getting better designs for back braces and some of them are even more sustainable.

Designer: Sangyu Xi

One of the better-designed ones is the award-winning prototype called Airy which is a lightweight, comfortable, fashionable, and even sustainable kind of brace to correct the lateral curvature of the spine. The designer actually created this after talking with a group of adolescent girls, which is the demographic most affected by scoliosis. She tried to solve the pain points of the current back braces available in the market and came up with something that is not just comfortable but adjusts to the still-growing bodies of its users.

The design improves on the Cheneau light brace and adopts the basic architecture but modifies the side pieces to be asymmetrical so it can be easily adjusted whether left or right curvature is needed. The prototype is made from translucent polylactic acid (PLA) and its padding has a voronoi pattern not just for aesthetics but to let the brace breathe. The foam also leaves more room for proper air circulation. Instead of using the velcro strap that users are used to, this contraption has a nylon cord with a three-point connection as its closure. There is also an app that can be connected to the brace through a smart device so the development can be monitored.

Since adolescents may sometimes feel awkward about wearing braces, the Airy has fabric-like patterns so they can wear it even with their summer wear and beachwear where the braces might be exposed. There are also five color options to choose from to adapt to the user’s preferences: coral, rose, monochrome, chartreuse, and turquoise. And since this doesn’t use synthetic glues, the rigid parts of the brace can then be recycled. The prototype and product renders show this to be something that can not just help teens with their scoliosis but can also make braces look a bit fashionable.

The post “Airy” makes back braces more fashionable, comfortable, and sustainable first appeared on Yanko Design.

Knee brace concept can help parents, doctors monitor kids’ recovery

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It’s a nightmare for parents when one of their kids gets injured. I mean, of course, it’s difficult for the actual kids but it’s also difficult for parents especially when it comes to monitoring the recovery and making sure they don’t suffer a relapse or a worse injury. There are a lot of designers working with medical specialists trying to come up with helpful tools that can help in this process of healing. It’s a delicate balance between a good design and actual medical functionalities.

Designer: Yifeeling Design Lab

A design company came up with a medical design solution to help kids who suffer from injuries like damaged meniscus and other possible leg injuries that will affect the knees, especially in the recovery process. The C-knee is a device that the child can wear while recovering from their fracture, sprain, or other injuries. It’s designed like the usual leg brace that athletes wear but with a mesh padding to fit the knee area. I’m assuming that this is something the kids will wear after the cast has come off and the doctors and parents need to keep a close eye on their knees.

The C-Knee actually has a device attached to it that looks like a medical monitor. The information that is recorded there should be something that the doctor or parents will have access to so they can monitor if there is no further damage being done to the knee joints while they’re recovering. The information should also give them an idea of what further rehabilitation is needed so they will eventually get complete healing.

The design is supposedly based on the natural curve of the knee and leg. They also did research on knee injuries and so they were able to come up with a design that should help with the recovery process, both for the kids and the parents or guardians, and especially the medical professional helping them get better.

The post Knee brace concept can help parents, doctors monitor kids’ recovery first appeared on Yanko Design.

‘Brace’ is a discreet compression-wearable that helps teenagers with expanded rib-cages

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The unseen problem that most medical designs often fail to consider is social stigma. Stigma is why some people don’t like using their asthma inhaler in public, or why some kids often take their dental retainers off when they’re among friends. Stigma can often cause an effective medical design to fail because their patients seem reticent or feel awkward.

The Brace was designed to eliminate the stigma around wearing chest-braces. Designed for children with pectus carinatum, also known as pigeon chest (an affliction that affects 1 in 400 children, causing their rib-cage to protrude outwards), the Brace works as a compression apparatus that gradually compresses the chest-plate inwards, bringing it back in shape. Designed by UK-based PDR, the Brace treats the harness as less of a medical apparatus and more like something out of a superhero costume. Its slim profile allows it to fit discreetly under clothes, while the product’s form itself takes on a much more innovative, contemporary approach, with angular lines, novel materials, and fresh-looking colors!

The Brace is a winner of the iF Gold Design Award for the year 2020.

Designer: PDR for R&D Surgical Ltd.

Panthers linebacker gets 3D-printed brace for Super Bowl

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During the first quarter of the NFC Championship game nearly two weeks ago, Carolina Panthers All-Pro linebacker Thomas Davis broke his arm making a tackle. Immediately after the game, Davis said he had every intention of playing in Sunday's Super Bo...

Universal Wrist Mend

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Christina Moritz’s wrist orthosis interacts with areas of tension surrounding the arm and wrist for use in cases of lesion-induced immobilization as well as post-op recovery, the device forms a temporary tensional “exoskeleton” with the body for a more flexible, frictionless, comfortable and effective healing solution. Composed of common soft foam material, it’s lightweight and capable of being produced virtually anywhere at low cost, making it an ideal solution for developing nations.

Designer: Marina Scheinberg

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