Variable Impedance Prosthetic (VIPr) Socket: Improving prosthetic comfort for amputees

Advisor: Prof. Hugh Herr

Thesis committee: Prof. Neri Oxman , Prof. Nicholas Negroponte

Project Abstract: Today, 100 percent of amputees experience some form of prosthetic socket discomfort. This project involves the design and production of a comfortable, variable impedance prosthetic (VIPr) socket using digital anatomical data for a transtibial amputee using computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM). The VIPr socket uses multiple materials to achieve compliance, thereby increasing socket comfort for amputees, while maintaining structural integrity. The compliant features are seamlessly integrated into the 3D printed socket to achieve lower interface peak pressures over bony protuberances and other anatomical points in comparison to a conventional socket. This lower peak pressure is achieved through a design that uses anthropomorphic data acquired through surface scan and Magnetic Resonance Imaging techniques. A mathematical transformation maps the quantitative measurements of the human residual limb to the corresponding socket shape and impedance characteristics, spatially.