Abstract
My technical capstone project and STS research paper are closely connected through their shared focus on improving battlefield trauma care, specifically hemorrhage control. In my technical project, my team and I designed a wearable moulage device that simulates the geometry of a gunshot wound with integrated bleeding and sensors that provide real-time feedback on wound-packing depth and applied pressure for training U.S. military medics. This device functions as part of a broader training system involving human users, medical protocols, and simulation technologies. Similarly, my STS research paper analyzes Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) using Actor-Network Theory (ANT), examining how a network of human and non-human actors, including medics, tourniquets, training systems, and institutional policies, was aligned and stabilized to reduce preventable deaths. While my capstone project constructs a new component within this network, my STS research investigates how such networks successfully form and persist.
The technical component of my work centers on the development of a wearable training device designed to improve the effectiveness of hemorrhage control education. The moulage simulates realistic bleeding and provides immediate feedback to users, allowing medics to practice wound-packing techniques under conditions that mimic real combat scenarios. The goal of this design is to enhance skill acquisition and retention by combining physical simulation with measurable performance metrics. By integrating feedback mechanisms into the device, the project addresses a key limitation of traditional training methods, which often lack objective evaluation of technique. Ultimately, this design aims to improve preparedness and response accuracy in high-pressure environments.
In my STS research paper, I argue that the success of TCCC is not solely due to improved medical technologies, but rather the result of effective sociotechnical alignment. Using Actor Network Theory, I analyze how network builders translated diverse actors around the central problem of preventable hemorrhage deaths on the battlefield, delegated decision-making to structured protocols and stabilized the system through institutional mandates. The case of TCCC demonstrates that technologies such as tourniquets are only effective when embedded within a coordinated system of training, policy, and practice. This framework shifts the focus from individual innovations to the structures and relationships between actors within a network that enable their consistent use.
Working on these two projects simultaneously provided valuable insight into the relationship between design and implementation. My STS research emphasized that even the most effective technologies will fail without proper integration into a broader system of users, protocols, and institutions. This directly influenced my technical approach, reinforcing the importance of designing not just for functionality, but for usability, training compatibility, and real-world application. Conversely, developing the moulage device made the abstract concepts of ANT more tangible, as I was actively considering how my design would interact with existing
training networks. Together, these projects highlight that successful engineering solutions require both technical innovation and careful attention to the sociotechnical systems in which they will operate.
