Development of a Pressure Sensing Application to Optimize Prosthetic Socket Fit for Below-the-Knee Amputees; The Media and Prosthetics: Technoableism and the Misrepresentation of Amputee Experience 7 views

Limb loss is a prevalent global issue that currently affects 30 to 40 million people and is expected to increase by 50 times in the next quarter-century. Prosthetics offer an innovative solution, yet 30 to 50 percent of users abandon their devices. One of the largest factors contributing to abandonment is the prosthetic socket, or the custom-built interface between the residual limb stump and the actual prosthetic device. While a socket is built to last years, improper fit can lead to skin breakdown, pain, and reduced activity levels. Ill-fitting sockets create a large gap in critical healthcare solutions for amputees, a goal that this capstone project aims to address. This capstone project aimed to tackle socket misfit by creating a pressure-sensing device to support prosthetists build and fit patients for a more accurate and reliable prosthetic socket. The final product involves both the sensor device and an associated application-like user interface. This package detects real time pressure data that a socket places onto a patient’s lower leg amputated limb and maps it onto the associated areas within the user interface. This device allows prosthetists to evaluate a socket’s current fit and identify areas where adjustments may improve safety, comfort, and long-term usability. With the increasing need for prosthetic devices, human and sociotechnical concerns of this technology must also be addressed. The Prosthetic and Orthotics (P&O) Industry is surging and is expected to be valued at over 9 billion USD by 2031. It is therefore essential to investigate whether this growing technology and its associated manufacturer priorities align with user need. One way to understand P&O initiatives is through public media, which often shapes social understanding, inclusion, and perception. Ashley Shew’s theory of technoableism provides a framework for analyzing how prosthetic manufacturer media may frame technology as a solution to disability. Within the scope of Shew’s framework, research was conducted using discourse analysis by comparing themes and language seen in both industry and non-industry settings. Such analysis was evaluated based on whether manufacturer goals aligned with the needs of the disabled community, or whether these goals reinforced harmful or unrealistic expectations. The research concluded that manufacturer representations commonly misalign with real-world user experience, and instead neglect inclusion, comfort, and struggle. The technical capstone and sociotechnical research cooperatively highlight the need for improvements within the prosthetic industry and call to action all players that broadly touch the industry. The capstone aimed to inadvertently increase user comfort and adoption by providing a reliable device to assist prosthetists in their fittings. The sociotechnical research delved further into user need by discussing how well the prosthetic industry’s media portrayals overlap with real world experience and technological benefit. Both projects illustrate the need for a more equitable system that utilizes technology to empower, rather than “fix” the disabled community, as Shew’s theory of technoableism depicts. Technological innovation is entangled with social dimensions; one cannot exist without the other. Finding solutions to improve prosthetic technology while also considering the fairness, safety, and lived impact of its outcomes can help create a more sustainable and inclusive healthcare system for the disabled community.

BS (Bachelor of Science)

Prosthetics; Technoableism; Amputee; Medical Device

School of Engineering and Applied Science Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering Technical Advisor: Timothy Allen STS Advisor: Rider Foley Technical Team Members: Isabel Hutcheson, Daniela Rajwan, Juliette Steffensen

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2026-05-07