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Biomedical Engineering Education

Biomedical Engineering Education - Poster Session A

Poster F1 - Body-Powered Prosthesis Project to Promote Learning of Human Centered Design in a Pre-College Engineering Camp

Thursday, October 24, 2024
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EST
Location: Exhibit Hall E, F & G

Introduction:  Human centered design is a fundamental principle required for engineers to truly cater to the needs of the individual they are creating solutions for. Unlike technology centered design that focuses on innovating the technology for the machine’s sake and leaving users to conform to the design, human centered design takes a more empathetic approach to the design process. This involves putting the user’s needs first and involving them throughout the process [1]. Previous research found that implementation of curriculum that integrates user perspectives throughout the design process is important in promoting a human centered approach to engineering [2]. This research is an extension of last year’s study on integrating human centered design into high school curriculum through the development of a body powered prosthesis prototype project [3]. The goal of this study is to understand whether the immersive prosthetic hand project is associated with a change in students' knowledge of bioengineering, specifically regarding human centered design.

Materials and

Methods:  Seven high school students participated in the prosthetic hand project during Valparaiso University’s 5 day summer engineering camp. Data was collected via pre and post camp survey and a KWL (know, want to know, learn) survey in which the students wrote what they knew, and wanted to know about bioengineering before the camp, then after the camp reported what they learned. Similar to last year’s project, students were split into 3 groups and first tasked with building a simple cardboard prosthetic hand guided by instructions to get a basic understanding of prosthetics. In the following days, they progressed to designing a prosthetic hand prototype using Meccano kits. They were introduced to user profiles with limb difference and updated their design to accommodate the user’s profile needs. Each group was given A special task to implement in their design, these tasks included flipping a burger, shoveling snow, and playing golf. Students also met two prosthesis users and two prosthetist professionals who provided feedback on their designs. Their final designs were attached to body-powered trans-radial level simulator prosthesis sockets with a figure-9 harness. They tested their prototypes by competing in a Cybathlon, where they had to complete everyday tasks such as tying shoelaces and buttoning shirts, while wearing their prosthesis. In the 2024 project, students were additionally introduced to EMG sensors and asked to incorporate them into their design. However, they were unable to complete this task due to their lack of experience with electronics and coding.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: The data collected from the students’ KWL survey responses shows an increase in the number of instances of the inclusion of user needs in their perception of bioengineering, as seen in Figure 1. The three references prior to the camp may suggest that those students had a prior knowledge of human centered design. Though one student shifted their perception, a larger sample size is necessary to more accurately conclude on the effectiveness of the activities in shifting their view of bioengineering to a human centered mindset. Further research should be designed to capture information on participants’ exposure to human centered principles as part of their education experience prior to project participation. The pre and post camp surveys also demonstrated an improvement in the students’ confidence in their ability to make design changes, as seen in Figure 2. The students were asked to rank how much they agree with the statement “I can recognise changes needed for a design solution to work” on a scale of 1 to 6 with 1 being low agreement and 6 being high agreement. There was a delta of +1 in their agreement, showing an improved ability to optimize their design. Both the 2023 and 2024 camps showed an increase in students’ confidence rankings from the pre to the post camp surveys for most questions. The students were also able to complete the special tasks using their designs. For future camp improvements, the introduction of EMG sensors applications should be better structured, providing sample codes and tutorials that are easy to follow even without previous knowledge. The survey data demonstrated how the engineering camp at Valparaiso University helped students to understand how to apply human centered design to a product. The camp curriculum also enforced the importance of testing the design to troubleshoot and improve a design.

Acknowledgements (Optional):  [1] Zoltowski, Carla B., William C. Oakes, and Monica E. Cardella. “Students’ Ways of Experiencing Human-Centered Design.” Journal of Engineering Education 101, no. 1 (2012): 28–59. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2012.tb00040.x.
[2] E. A. Sanders, M. H. Goldstein, and J. L. Hess, “Course Experiences That Promote and Inhibit Human-Centered Design,” International Journal of Technology and Design Education, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 783–808, Apr. 2024, doi: 10.1007/s10798-023-09834-w.
[3] A. Miranda, N. Mabrey, I. Ogli, S. Santana de Amorim Brito, A Wolok, et al. “Integrating Human-Centered Design into Pre-College Engineering Camp with a Body-Powered Prosthesis Project”. BMES Annual Meeting. Seattle Convention Center, Seattle-WA, October 13, 2023.