Project Brace Yourselves (Powered Exoskeletal Arm)
Most of us are privileged to have fully functioning limbs and we neglect the fact that there are people in this world that have lost muscular, neurological or skeletal functioning and can't even perform simple tasks such as lifting an object.
For example, Muscular dystrophy is a group of diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass. In muscular dystrophy, abnormal genes (mutations) interfere with the production of proteins needed to form healthy muscle. This might cause the functioning of an arm to be severely hampered. Another condition that atrophies the arms functioning is Brachial Plexus Palsy. A brachial plexus palsy happens when the nerves of the brachial plexus have been damaged. The brachial plexus is a set of nerves that control the muscles of the arm.
With our design project this term, we aim to create an arm brace equipped with a linear actuator motor that allows people with arm disabilities such as Muscular dystrophy and Brachial Plexus Palsy to lift considerably heavy objects and assist them in everyday tasks.
