My thesis project to complete my BSME at MIT was designing a hand-held user interface for the Active Joint Brace. Beyond designing the enclosure, I also picked the user interface components, such as the navigation switch and the LCD screen. The enclosure was designed in SolidWorks, and then sent off to a rapid prototyper (C.ideas), where it was made by the fused deposition modeling(FDM) method. The prototype was made of ABS plastic, so it would be strong enough to be used in testing of the brace. Basically, the device is able to be manipulated with just one hand, and is used to run the brace's controlling software. If you'd like a pdf of my thesis paper, send me an email. The Active Joint Brace was spun off to form the Myomo Corporation.

Below are pictures of the solid models of the bottom and top of the enclosure. Notable features from the bottom half are the stand-offs that hold up the printed circuit board (the little nubs with holes in them that stick up off of the surface), tabs that stick up and hold the slide switch that is used as a hold switch (it locks out input from the navigation switch), a raised area on the bottom side that the user can hook his/her index finger around to get a more secure hold, and the an opening in the back side, which is where a door goes. The door is so that the user can access a compact flash card which stores data from the usage of the brace, which can later be analysed. The top piece is simpler, with a hole for the screen and the navigation switch, and another hole for the door to fit. Also note the pieces in the back which hold the axles from the door: the door rotates about an axle so it can't be separated from the unit. The entire thing is held together with only one screw, which goes in the handle (there is a snap fit at the top to clamp it down, as well as a set of labyrinth joints that go all around the shell).

The picture below is a CAD model I worked on for when I was UROPing with the group over the Summer of 2004. The mechanical design of the brace was done by one of the principal investigators in the group, and I did models of the smaller, cosmetic things, like the black box where the motor and some electronics went, the cables, and the sleeve itself. The modelling of the sleeve required me to sketch in 3D and make solids from those sketches; these skills came in handy for my thesis project.