Pneumatically Actuated Soft Wearable Exoskeleton for Upper Limb Motion Rehabilitation; Social Determinism of the Da Vinci Surgical System

The pneumatically actuated exoskeleton is a very new concept. There is nothing that exists that is similar to it in today’s market. It has the potential to completely change physical therapy as both an assistive tool for physical therapists or a domestic tool that a user can take home and use by themselves. However, in order for it to be a successful product, it must appeal to the needs of society. Social determinism will affect whether or not the pneumatically actuated exoskeleton will receive continued support and development. Much like da Vinci’s competitors, if there is a reason why the products stakeholders would prefer another method over the pneumatically actuated exoskeleton, then the development for the exoskeletons will receive less support to continue and may eventually cease completely. The analysis in my STS research performs analysis on the successful da Vinci in order to gain an idea of how social determinism affects medical technology development. It draws conclusions on what general qualities the medical and patient community look for in a medical product. Engineers who eventually make a finished product of the pneumatically actuated exoskeleton may be able to use this information to design the exoskeleton in a way that maximizes its stakeholder acceptance. For example, an important conclusion derived from the STS analysis was that patients care a lot about cost. If the pneumatically actuated exoskeleton costs more than current physical therapy solutions, then it must be far more effective than those current solutions. These conclusions can help engineers determine what features to prioritize when designing the product.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Technical Advisor: Sarah Sun

STS Advisor: Joshua Earle

Technical Team Members: Kaitlin Cole, Jahnavi Dave, Jake Morrisey, Jackson Spain, Courtney Wilks