A way to accurately and automatically simulate the effects of medication during surgery simulation using syringes.

We had the opportunity of observing a surgery simulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. There I noticed that currently to simulate the effects of a medication the person applying the medication would call out the medication they were giving and how much Then a person running the simulation would decide what effect to give and how severely. This requires a person to be running the simulation to be able to apply the medication at all and the effect of the medication is completely up to that person. I realized it would be more accurate and less expensive to automate this process because there would no person running this and the effect can be based on scientific data. I created a device that reads barcodes off the syringe as you slide it into the receptacle in the top of the IV, takes that and outputs the effect of the medication.

In this studio students work with surgical simulation and devices. 

Students get to visit the Beth Israel Hospital Simulation Lab, where they learn about standard practices and current methods for surgical simulations and operations, and they refresh their anatomy knowledge.

During the studio, they will design new tools and devices, either improving the current state of the art, or focusing on accessibility and cost efficiency.

Our project is a device that can be worn on a doctors arm to limit tremors while doing surgery using an aluminum frame and a small weight to offset the movement.

The problem we were trying to solve was that doctors' hands, especially older doctors' hands, tend to shake. Because patients want experienced doctors, our goal was to limit tremors in their hands but still allow for movement in other parts of the hand and arm. We thought this would help a lot of people because when doctors begin to get older, just like when anyone begins to get older, they begin to lose some control over their hands. Our device, that can fit on anyone's hand with straps, slows down and limits rotational movement in the arm, but still allows for movement. We made it with mostly aluminum and neoprene rubber for the straps. To limit the movement, we used a track with a weight in it to offset any small tremor.

Upon our first trip to the Beth Israel Deaconess hospital in Boston, we got to see a simulative surgery in progress. We wandered around the room watching the surgeons operate on a mannequin with a human-like body. We got to looked at everything in the operating room, from the computer equipment to a complex table with an assortment of different surgical tools. Our studio was focused on designing new tools and devices that would improve the current state of the surgical art, or focus on accessibility and cost efficiency. We remembered back to being in the operating room with various different tools scattered on the table and decided to create a product that would organize these tools in a more efficient way.

Surprisingly, our final iteration looked vastly similar to the initial concept sketches. We wanted to make a device that would be both simple but effective for surgeons. In that thought, we came up with a large cylinder to hold the tools, some sort of plate to keep fluids from leaking, and a large base to hold it all. We focused on both the design of the structure and 3d printed hooks that would hold each tool.  Our initial prototype was small, but thoroughly represented what we wanted to see for our final. This model was created out of cardboard and paper. For our final iteration, we wanted a stronger and larger model, so we began by enlarging the size of the cylinder, along with the size of the plate and base. The expanded size would allow for storage of more tools (up to 14) for the use of the surgeon. Before printing it out on wood, we did so on cardboard to assure that our measurements and tests were fully accurate. We also spent a lot of time 3d printing different versions of hooks that would support different tools. We focused on the scalpel, tweezers, forceps, and scissors. Each hook is made specifically for the type of tool it holds.

We believe our device is a highly useful option for surgeons to consider when performing simulative surgeries. It not only reduces the amount of people required to operate the tools by allowing the surgeon to choose tools upon thought, rather than having to call for one but, organizes the tools very neatly.

As an introduction to the project we took a trip to beth Israel hospital. There we observed a surgery on a fake dummy. We had the privilege of entering into an operating room and watch as the surgeons preformed the operation. The surgeon explained what he was doing and showed us the different tools and instruments used for the procedure. 

The goal of this slide was to present the problem and solution of the project. We developed a device that limited tremors in the hand intended for surgeons. This instrument could also be used for people who suffer from Parkinson’s.

Our First precedent was the wrist brace. The issue with the wrist band was that we did not want to limit hand movement like a splint. We only wanted to remove the tremor. 

Our second precedent and inspiration for the project was a glove with a gyroscope. This model would eliminate tremors in the hand. When the hand moved a certain way the gyroscope would move the opposite way creating a limiting movement. The issue with this model is that it would be too big for a surgeon to wear and would impact the arm movement immensely.

This was a picture of our first sketch of the project. We wanted to have a aluminum glove that would rap around the entire hand. Unfortunately we realized that idea was not helpful and actually restricted hand movement. It was imperative to eventually switch to a rubber material making the glove more flexible. Our goal was to keep hand movement but limit the tremors. 

This sketch was a picture of the forearm and the individual bones that connected the wrist to the elbow. There are two bones in the forearm and when they rotate one of the bones overlap. In order to have a system that stayed put and didn't move along with that rotation, we added a structure that connected the hand piece to a strap around the bicep. There would be a wooden bar or plank connecting the glove with the strap around the bicep. 

For our first iteration, we wanted to restrict side to side movement of the hand. We used cardboard which we laser cut, two screws, and velcro to make a design that would stop any horizontal movement but allow vertical movement.

It was then that we began to study the movement of how a person tremors, and we began trying to restrict rotational movement. We extended our structure up the forearm, using wooden planks and velcro to try and completely stop the arm from rotating.

For our third iteration, we replaced cardboard with aluminum for the hand piece and extended it all the way up to the bicep. We did this because we saw that when the forearm was rotating, the bicep was orating less so we planed that if we connected them, the rotational and movement would stop. We used dowels to connect the hand and bicep parts, and velcro to attach it to the forearm.

For our last iteration before our final, we changed the idea. Instead of trying to completely restricting rotational movement, we truly were aiming for a design that would limit tremors. Dr. Feldman gave us the idea of making a gyroscope-type device where a weight would go the opposite direction of the hand. We did this by making a tray out of aluminum where a weight would be placed. We also changed the aluminum frame for the hand to rubber, and changed the dowels to wooden planks.

Here you can see the rubber brace that goes around the hand, the wooden planks that attach to the bicep, and aluminum plates that add some support to the rubber structure. 

For the final, we changed the aluminum tray to a wooden, cylindrical cage with ball bearings inside. If the hand rotates slowly to either side, the balls will also go that direction. But if the hand moves quickly one way, then quickly the other way, the balls will still be moving in that same direction, causing the hand to slow down and not tremor.

As you can see on our final images, we used a rubber hand brace, the wooden cage to restrict rotational tremors, and wooden planks that runs up the arm. We also added rubber along the arm piece to make it more comfortable.

The objective of the project was to create a tool that would limit tremors in the hand specifically for made for surgeons but could also be used for patients with Parkinson's disease. 

Our goal of the project was to design and construct a tool that would reduce tremors in the hand. A surgery can take an extensive amount of time and in order for the surgeon to be more precise he could wear this device. Surgeons tremors lead to mistakes and flaws in the operation which we intend to stop. One of the biggest problems we came across was where to attach the device. Since the bicep is much more stable, we decided to but a brace around the bicep that would connect to the device by a long pole. Another issue we had was while limiting the tremor, we limited the arm movement which was not intended. The instrument should allow movement of the arm while containing the tremor movement. This tool is a step towards future medical deceives used to make surgeries more accurate for the doctor.