Prototyping Assistive Devices in India using hybrid manufacturing: a case study on developing ankle foot orthosis (afo) for motor neuron disease (mnd) / amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (als).

The demand for Assistive devices (AT) is ever so increasing. Still, many potential AT users with varying needs lack access to appropriate AT device that is bespoke for their requirements. This issue is even more significant for people with a degenerative disease, such as people diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND) or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), whose requirements can change even before the device is procured. This is because the design of off-the-shelf AT devices is optimised for mass manufacturing with a one-size-fits-all mentality. Hence conventional manufacturing cannot afford bespoke designs, but hybrid manufacturing has shown the potential to allow bespoke designs in other fields, such as jewellery. Hybrid manufacturing combines different production methods to utilise the pros of individual processes and overcome the con by supporting other methods in unison. In this practice-based design research project, we identified issues faced by people diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND)/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), followed by designing a solution for an identified foot drop problem. We used a hybrid manufacturing approach to prototype our designed product by combining 3D printing and Handcrafting. Testing the developed AT device with our users reinforced our belief in the potential of hybrid manufacturing and how the hybrid manufacturing approach could be an alternative to conventional mass manufacturing methods in providing an appropriate AT device to potential AT users catering to their bespoke requirements.