Adaptive Peripheral Fit Component Customization via Additive Manufacturing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional adaptive peripherals for individuals with limited mobility are often custom-made and expensive, requiring expertise in CAD modeling software, which creates a barrier for users needing customized adaptive peripherals.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that allows users to customize adaptive peripherals through a web portal by distinguishing between fit and functional components within a CAD model, enabling alterations to fit components while maintaining interoperability with other components, using additive manufacturing for rapid production.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional adaptive peripherals are custom-made by hand to meet individual mobility needs, then the devices can be customized to individual requirements, but the manufacturing cost and time increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomization to individual mobility needsVSAvoidmanufacturing cost and time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The peripheral device is divided into multiple components including fit components (customizable parts like grips, shells, covers) and functional components (standardized parts like circuit boards, motors, sensors). This segmentation allows fit components to be customized through additive manufacturing while functional components remain standardized for cost-effective production and assembly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the peripheral device have different manufacturing approaches: fit components that contact or fit to the user's body are customized using additive manufacturing to match individual anatomical characteristics, while internal functional components use standardized manufacturing processes. This local differentiation optimizes both customization and manufacturing efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If conventional adaptive peripherals are custom-made by hand, then individual customization is achieved, but the complexity of the manufacturing process increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveindividual customizationVSAvoidmanufacturing process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

User-specific anatomical data (such as 3D scans of hands, arms, or body parts) is collected and processed in advance to generate customized fit component designs before manufacturing. This preliminary action automates the customization process, eliminating the need for manual measurement and design while ensuring precise individual fit.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates digital 3D models (copies) of the user's body parts from scan data, which are then used to generate customized fit components through additive manufacturing. This digital copying approach replaces manual measurement and modeling processes, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining high customization accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Productivity

If additive manufacturing is used for rapid production of customized peripherals, then manufacturing time is reduced, but ensuring interoperability and compatibility becomes more challenging

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing speedVSAvoidinteroperability and compatibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The peripheral device uses standardized functional components and interfaces that are compatible across different models and configurations. This universality ensures that regardless of which customized fit components are produced through additive manufacturing, the core functional components maintain interoperability and compatibility with the overall system architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

By clearly separating fit components (produced via additive manufacturing for customization) from functional components (using standardized interfaces), the system ensures that rapid prototyping and customization of fit components do not compromise the reliability and interoperability of functional components. The segmentation allows independent optimization of both customization speed and system compatibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS20230401344A1Systems and methods for manufacturing adaptive peripheral devices

Publication Date: 2023.12.14 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A method of modifying an object model includes, defining a template page having a plurality of nodes; obtaining a model of a peripheral, wherein the model includes a fit component and functional component; presenting to a user with a rendering engine of the template page, a rendering of the model in a first node of the plurality of nodes of the template page; presenting to the user, in a second node of the plurality of nodes of the template page, at least one UI input; receiving a user input with the UI input that changes the UI value of the UI input through the second node; changing the model value of the at least one property of at least one fit component in response to the UI value; updating the rendering of the model based on the model value; and providing an altered fit component to an additive manufacturing device.