The purpose of the daily post is to document the progress for the day. You will do this through the following post types:

Updates

In the Updates tab, each team member should post images of the work they completed over the course of the day. This includes ideas that came out of your mind - sketches, images of prototypes, renders or screenshots of digital designs, storyboards, etc. Every image must have a Title and Caption. See the example in the Gallery of this post.

Title - What is the image of? Be specific in terms of the version and content.
ex - Shade prototype 1,  Initial storyboard, 3D Model of Shade Connection.

Caption - What aspect of your design process does the image capture and how did it inform your process?  
ex - Exploring mobility of hexagons. We noticed that in order to raise the shade, many hexagons would need to become trapezoids.

Precedents

Precedent research is a fundamental part of the creative process, providing context, inspiration, and technical guidance. It is work that came out of someone else's mind. In the Precedents Tab, each team member should post precedents applicable to the current stage of design. While you need not have a new precedent every day, be sure to include them each time you make substantive technical or design changes.

You can read more about Precedents here.

Things to consider:

• Each precedent should have its own post.
• Each image should have a title and caption saying what the image is and attributing the source.
• Each precedent should have 1-2 sentences explaining how the precedent is applicable to your project.

Izzy: The Hand Helper is an arm brace attached to a wheelchair to help raise a person's arm. The device is meant to support someone with a disability that prevents them from raising their hand. With the help of the device, the user can ask a question or gain someone's attention. It also provides an element of physical therapy since the user's arm has to raise its self partially in order to start the process. This device is specifically designed for a freshman boy in high school who has muscular dystrophy. He has a very limited range of motion and although he can lift his arms a little, he struggles with raising his hands all the way. This has become an issue for him in class when he has a question since he is unable to raise his hand.

 A lifting device below the brace functions in a similar way as a crane. This lifting device is made of laser-cut wood and contains a 3D printed brace to wrap around the arm. The part that wraps around the arm is created out of plastic that was 3D printed. A handle attached to the front of the device allows the user to secure their arm. A button in the front starts the device by turning on the motor, which pulls the attached strings and therefore, braces backward to lift the user's arm upwards. 

People with Cerebral Palsy have trouble controlling/practicing their fine motor skills. Because of this, everyday clothing that contains zippers and buttons are difficult to put on. Changing clothing can be an annoying and anxious time for kids with Cerebral Palsy; we want kids to have a fun way to practice getting dressed.  We boiled down the skills involved with zippers and buttons and came up with games that would allow kids to practice these skills. This vest not only allows kids to practice the basic motions behind zippers and buttons, but is also naturally fun and entertaining.

The skills involved in zippering and buttoning are pulling, pinching, holding (two hands), and slipping through a small opening. The games associated with each skill vary from spinners to levers to fill-in-hole matching toys. Every toy on the vest has a specific purpose.

Many pieces of clothing made for someone with CP are adaptive and simplify the process of getting dressed and undressed, but the Skills Vest teaches the kids to possibly be able to use the zippers and buttons on everyday clothing. This eliminates the purchase of an entire adaptive wardrobe.

We have been expanding on this project for the past two weeks. Since beginning our 2nd studio on the Skills Vest, we have transformed the vest. We delved into occupational therapy and why therapists recommend certain toys for children. After studying these toys and understanding their different therapeutic uses, we incorporated the existing toys into our vest. We then gave our vest an age appropriate theme (Farm) and reinvented our toys to farm animals. In the diagram above, each toy is shown and each of their individual skills are highlighted.  

Our vest is special because it can be individualized to each child wearing it. Since the toys are attachable and detachable, toys can be placed wherever is most convenient and beneficial for the child. Along with this feature, the vest can also be individualized by levels of games. If a child masters the beginners games, they can "move up" a level and attempt something more advanced.

This project won the Design For Social Impact Award from Core 77.

How do we tie our shoes? Hold a pencil? Unlock and open a door?  These are all processes which many of us take for granted.  But for some, these tasks are challenging tests of coordination and dexterity. For those with physical, cognitive, or neuromotor difficulties, occupational therapy is a game changer.  High Horses, in Sharon, Vermont, elevates their clients to horseback, connecting the rhythm of a horse’s gait and movement to therapeutic sessions that increase the rider’s sense of freedom through flexibility, balance, and muscle strength training.

In this studio, students will partner with horses to develop therapeutic tools for their patients on horseback. Students will investigate the challenges and opportunities of equine-assisted therapy through interaction with therapists, clients, and the horses. By examining their own lives, students will identify key moments that can be translated to engage the dexterity, coordination, and confidence of the riders. Through abstracting these tasks, students will build these processes into dynamic and interactive objects that they will construct and install on a horse trail on the High Horses property.