Author(s):
Rodrigues, Ivo Oliveira, 1988- 
Date: 2012
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10451/7268
Origin: Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa
Subject(s): Design de produtos; Paralisia; Nervos Radiais; Próteses; Ortopedia
Description
Tese de mestrado, Design de Equipamento, especialidade em Design de produto, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Belas Artes, 2012 In the present project two apparently distinct fields were joined together: Product Design and Health, focused on Orthotics and Prosthetics. “What is the relevance of Design on Health field?” or “Is the Designer able to develop medical devices?” are examples of addressed questions. At theoretical level, the Designer’s capability to create objects usually not associated to his own work was explored. Based on historical and present data, the importance of Designers’ role in areas like Health was proven. Therefore, the Product Designer is able to work in conformity with several fields which diverge between themselves. Along with this, Industrial Designers on the health sector may focus their work on Orthotics and Prosthetics field. This is one of the emergent fields in heath sector, which takes part in Prostheses and Orthoses. Considering its progression and further expectations, it is crucial to develop competent products towards the improvement of patients’ live. Aiming their enhancement, several existing orthopedic products should be subjected to aesthetics and mechanics renewing. On this regard, the Orthotic for Radial Nerve Palsy was chosen, since the devices available on the market for this application have several negative issues. The redesigning of this orthoses is critical for better results on patients’ rehabilitation. The work developed in this project resulted on the redesigning of an orthotics for radial nerve palsy, towards a simplified device which allows improved patients’ usage
