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Community Fit Initiative: Design Refinement Discussion for Boston Area Makers #21

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@zhub9006

Community Prosthetic Fitting Initiative — Design Refinement Discussion

Hello OpenBionics community and contributors,

We are coordinating a community prosthetic fitting initiative in the greater Boston area (Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville, MA) and would love to collaborate on refining the OpenBionics prosthetic hand design for local fabrication and fitting events.

Our Goals

  1. Design Refinement: Discuss improvements to the parametric CAD models for better fit across diverse residual limb geometries.
  2. Local Fabrication Protocols: Establish standardized assembly and fitting workflows for community volunteers.
  3. Accessibility & Comfort: Identify ergonomic and aesthetic customizations that improve daily wear comfort.
  4. Testing & Feedback: Set up a structured feedback loop from fittings to inform iterative design changes.

Proposed Next Steps

  • Hold a virtual/design review meeting to align on priority refinements.
  • Create a shared checklist for common fit issues (e.g., socket comfort, finger tension, cable routing).
  • Document best practices for volunteer-led fittings.
  • Explore partnerships with local universities and makerspaces for prototyping.

Who We Are

A volunteer-driven community effort spanning Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville, MA, bringing together engineers, occupational therapists, and amputee advocates.

We welcome input from the OpenBionics team and contributors on:

  • Parametric model adjustments
  • Material and printing orientation recommendations
  • Client-facing fitting instructions
  • Timeline for a pilot community fitting event

Please comment below or reach out to coordinate a meeting time. We are especially interested in connecting with engineers who can help us iterate on the mechanical and ergonomic design.

Thank you for the open-source work that makes this possible!

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