Today was the start of our very busy
mission-driven, service-learning, engineering-focused week. Professor Priscila from UESC connected us
with an institution called CEPEDI (
CENTRO DE PESQUISA E DESENVOLVIMENTO TECNOLÓGICO
EM INFORMÁTICA E ELETRO-ELETRÔNICA DE ILHÉUS), which is a company (not certain if it is for-profit or not) that does engineering development projects for companies. They are sort of like a consulting company. It was really cool and they had some facilities they let us use to work on getting our devices ready for delivery with tools and other machinery. Marcus, the leader of CEPEDI, was very nice and wanted to learn more about our projects and what we do. They are working to create more of a partnership with UESC for projects and I think this is one avenue that would be great!
CENTRO DE PESQUISA E DESENVOLVIMENTO TECNOLÓGICO
EM INFORMÁTICA E ELETRO-ELETRÔNICA DE ILHÉUS), which is a company (not certain if it is for-profit or not) that does engineering development projects for companies. They are sort of like a consulting company. It was really cool and they had some facilities they let us use to work on getting our devices ready for delivery with tools and other machinery. Marcus, the leader of CEPEDI, was very nice and wanted to learn more about our projects and what we do. They are working to create more of a partnership with UESC for projects and I think this is one avenue that would be great!
After a
quick lunch we set off to see Mr. Milton in Itabuna. As usual, Mr. Milton and his wife, Nalva,
were happy to see us. It was very exciting to see the device that Chris and
Mitch made for him 2 years ago is hanging on his wall and still being used. He loves it!
After
explaining to the students about his accident (read his story here),
we began getting feedback from him about his prosthetics. If you recall, a couple years ago after our
trip, the students and faculty in the Engineering program at Sweet Briar
College did a fundraiser to purchase Mr. Milton commercially available
prosthetic arms (see previous
post). Last summer I did my best to try to deliver and do the final
adjustments to the straps for the arms.
Unfortunately,
Mr. Milton has not found the arms useful.
They do not fit well, they are heavy and hot, and the end effector (a
hook that opens and closes), does not suit his needs well. We have not yet been successful in finding a
prosthetist in the state that could help adjust it and further train him with
the devices.
However,
we have been further attempting to design a prosthetic arm that is more
affordable, breathable, adjustable, lightweight, and simple for people like
Milton. This work has been the focus of
my research efforts, and I have integrated it into course projects for the last
few years. Two years ago my students Holly and Adam designed a sleeve that
could be made out of local materials and that would be breathable and
adjustable (read their published work here). This year a group (Bill, Ron, Roxy, and
Ashton) designed the end of the prosthetic.
I was very impressed with their work and was excited to get Milton’s feedback
so we could make improvements in the future.
His
reception of the device was better than we could have ever hoped for. HE LOVED IT! He thought it was great because
it was light weight and simple. In a
matter of about a half an hour we had it close to fitting him with only a few
adjustments. Ashton and Roxy worked with
him to better understand the advantages and disadvantages of the
prototype. With only a few simple fixes
we think we may be able to leave it with him on Friday! This result is far
better than we ever could have hoped for!
He didn’t want us to take it with us today!
I know I
left Milton’s home more excited than ever.
I can’t wait to see how well the other devices work out. We’ve done some interesting projects, but now
that our focus is on making them with simple materials so that they can be
reproduced here and by the people who need them the most, that we are now truly
making a different.
Reflection:
What is happiness? Have your ideas of happiness changed since the start of this
trip?
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