Samenvatting

This thesis is about the creation of a process manual for building a lower limb prosthesis socket. The target group is children between the age of 8-14 in developing countries. It is designed with local materials and tools so it can be used in rural areas without proper access to Prosthetic and Orthotic (P&O) facilities.
This manual will contain the general guidelines for building prosthetic parts. The project is done in collaboration with fellow student Martijn Hortensius whose thesis focusses on the foot and shaft of the prosthesis. It also supplies a list of requirements for manual design. To better describe the working of a prosthetic socket it was split up in three parts: the socket exterior, the socket interior and the suspension. For all of these parts requirements are created. This is done by researching literature and looking at examples of successful prostheses used in developing countries. Important criteria are mechanical performance, durability and adaptability to a growing body. In the design process each requirement is approached with the question: which materials do I have to use to fulfil the demands set by the requirements and what is the effect on the design. Several designs and ideas where evaluated if, and to which extent, they are fitting the requirements. Eventually several designs are made, 5 exterior sockets, 3 interior sockets and 2 suspensions. These are made into simple construction manuals. The manuals contain instructions about materials, tools, and some basic construction steps. These instructions are referred to as guidelines. The manual is evaluated in two ways. The content of the manual is evaluated by how successful the conversion from requirement to the guidelines is. The design of the manual is evaluated by a list of requirements made by fellow student Martijn Hortensius. The manuals themselves will not yet be sufficient to build an actual prosthesis but will provide a good starting point. The guidelines in the manual are to be tested and experimented with on location in rural areas.