Product Design

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Amputee Surf Gear

How might we prevent injury, slipping and heat loss of amputated limbs while surfing?

As part of the University of Oregon Adaptive Athletes Product Design studio, I worked with paralympic athletes like Jose Martinez to design gear specifically tailored to meet their unique needs with the ultimate goal of enhancing adaptive athlete performance and fostering inclusion for athletes of all abilities in sports. In this project, I designed a protective arm cap to provide protection, insulation and additional grip for Jose's amputated right arm after identifying this pain point through interviews.

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Meet Jose Martinez

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How might we design gear specifically addressing Jose's pain points?

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Market Research

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I modeled and 3D printed a raindrop pattern designed to flex and adapt to Jose's training movements while also providing protection from force being placed on Jose's amputated arm. I printed this in TPU on perforated fabric, which stayed on the fabric by fusing together on either side through the perforations.

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Final Prototype & Features

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