Lucy:

The bow stand assists a double arm amputee who loves archery and wants to have more accurate aim with the bow-and-arrow. This stand is made out of wood with screws and hinges to hold everything in place This device is for  A veteran who lost his arms in combat, the client used to use his feet to aim the bow-and-arrow, but with this assistive device he can rest the bow on the stand and draw the string back with his teeth. This bow stand will help him achieve more accurate shots. He will sit on a contraption like a rowing machine that will help him pull back the bow. A rotating pole helps him aim. When he releases the bow, the tripod stand will make sure that nothing falls over. The hope is that this will help him gain confidence and skill while in competitions or when doing it for recreation.  The  bow stand was designed with the belief that providing wounded veterans with custom-made devices will help them to feel confident in overcoming the challenges they face in their daily activities.

The Bow Stand: A stand,  designed for double arm amputees, to allow them to participate in the sport of archery. By harnessing the power created through the legs with a rowing machine, the Bow Stand allows the user to easily draw the arrow with his/her mouth.

Ronan's Brief: The Pull Up Brace: A protective wearable that keeps resistance bands around the bicep and allows proper form for a one-hand pull-up without irritating the skin.

The pull up brace is a custom design for a former marine named Evan Reichenthal. Evan lost his leg and has a fused elbow from stepping on an IED while deployed in Afghanistan. This does not keep him from  competing in athletic events such as crossfit, spartan races, and  marathons. One difficulty Evan has had in his training is that he can't use his fused right arm to do pull-ups., His solution has been to wrap a band around his bicep to be able to do the pull ups. While he is not one to complain, frequently this band moves up into his armpit which irritates his skins and compromises his form. The pull-up brace aims to bring allow proper form and comfort while still being light and simple. The basic design uses PVC, Memory foam, and elastic straps. The PVC provides a strong outside while the memory foam cushions Evan's arm.  The elastic straps allow the two PVC pieces to clamp together so they do not pull apart

Nick's Brief: The Pull-up Brace: a protective brace that attaches to a resistance band to allow anyone to perform a one-armed pull-up. The brace is designed for a former Marine, Evan Reichenthal, who lost his right leg and forearm during his time in Afghanistan.  Evan has never lost his Marine mentality or work ethic. Evan was medically dead six times and had surgery every day for three months. When he was not in surgery, he would attach a stool to his leg and try to walk. Within a year, Evan was walking and running again. Evan continues to exercise at a Marine level today, competing in various spartan races, marathons, while working out frequently. Because he cannot bend his right arm, he does all of his workouts with his left arm. He is able to do 30 reps of pull-ups with his left arm while putting his right arm in a resistance band and use his right shoulder to create the bounce back. The problem is that the band cuts his underarm and he has to take multiple days off from pull-ups in order to heal. The pull-up brace allows Evan's arm to not have direct contact from the band to his skin. There are two parts which strap on to each other, provided with protective padding. The arm parts are connected to a foam protection to support the armpit. This maximizes Evan's ability to do pull-ups in comfort, without cutting himself and interrupting his workout. The device is made not to do the work for Evan, but to maximize his workout. With this device, those who have lost their arm in combat can still workout at the level they desire. Working out not only can help one’s physical health, but one’s mental health as well. There is a form of therapy when it comes to exercise and the hope of the Pull-up brace is to create something strong and comfortable while allowing one to surpass their potential. 

 Rowan:

The Running to Cycling Shoe Attachment is an attachment that turns a running shoe into a rigid biking shoe,  helping someone with a prosthetic not fall behind in shoe transitions in triathlons. Consisting of a rigid sole with a heel and toe stopper, the attachment secures to the running shoe with Velcro and has the universal 3 holes for clipping into the bike pedals.  The user simply undoes a Velcro strap at the heel to slide the heel back and insert their shoe, then slides the heel in, secures it with Velcro, and attaches one more Velcro strap at the middle of the foot.

The Running Shoe to Cycling Shoe Attachment engages in the issue of accessibility for amputees participating in intense sports. This specific design was made for a veteran with a below knee amputation who competes in triathlons. This project evens the playing field for disabled athletes and fully abled athletes competing in triathlons,  with the hope of inspiring younger amputees to pursue their dreams regardless of their disability. It raises the question of what disadvantages amputees face in intense sports, and if  there are ways to adapt  minimize the effects of any  disadvantages 

Lucy Gunther:

A shoe attachment that changes a running shoe into a rigid bike shoe. This running shoe attachment provides similar support that a bike shoe would with a quicker and easier transition.

Triathletes have a difficult time switching from swimming to biking to running. Having a below knee amputation and prosthetic makes these transitions even more difficult. It takes someone with a prosthetic more time to transition causing them to lag behind in the race. The Running to Cycling Transition Shoe makes these transitions easier. Creating an attachment that makes shoe transitions easier sends a message to people who have been disabled. It says that they can still participate in the activities they enjoyed before, without extreme difficulty. Triathletes have to change into bike shoes right after swimming and then into running shoes after biking. The Transition Shoe eliminates the second shoe change because someone would simply have to remove the outer attachment. This Transition Shoe has the integrity of a bike shoe and easy access for a running shoe. In order to keep the integrity of a bike shoe, the shoe has a rigid sole, heel, and toe. This is to ensure maximum power transfer from the biker to the bike. The Transition Shoe uses a detachable slide in heel and strong Velcro strap in order to clamp and secure the running shoe inside. The hope is that, triathletes with a prosthetic will use this exoskeleton to make shoe changes quick and easy. 

Ava Rizika:

The Biking-to-Running Transition Shoe helps people with below-the-knee amputations have quicker and easier transitions between triathlon legs, or sections. People with prosthetics often seek new ways to lead a physically active life. Athletes with prosthetics may have a more difficult time with some activities. For example, the client that the Biking-to-Running Transition shoe was designed for is a veteran who enjoys competing in triathlons. He says that he struggles with changing shoes between the running and biking portions, which can be very time-consuming and difficult, especially for someone with a prosthetic. The time between the events when people switch shoes is critical, and one can easily fall behind from a slow transition, which can be frustrating. By helping this athlete run a triathlon more smoothly, the hope is to even the playing field for amputee triathletes competing against able-bodied people, and to inspire other amputees to be active and pursue their interests with confidence.

The product is designed to quickly slip on and off of a running sneaker. The shoe attachment has two different pieces: the heel and a connected toe and sole. The heel is detachable and slides into the sole along a guided rail. The part that covers the toe is attached to the sole and has two Velcro straps for tightening, one that goes over the foot and one that goes around the back of the heel. These velcro straps allow the user to slide their foot in easily without having to tug or twist. Bike shoes typically have a very rigid sole, toe, and heel. This is replicated in the attachment by using a hard material on those parts. Currently, there is no solution to this problem on the market; however, although another Nuvu design worked with the transition between triathlon legs, but it was not designed for amputees and did not have the necessary rigid bike shoe structure. The Biking-to-Running Transition shoe is an innovative solution for any triathlete, but specifically, for amputees who are trying to lead an active lifestyle.

A device to help a wounded marine do butterfly pull-ups, a type of pull-up used in CrossFit, with more ease and comfort.

Evan, a wounded marine, lost use of his right elbow in an accident while he was serving as a marine. He still enjoys doing CrossFit and other athletic activities. In order to do pull-ups, he throws an exercise band over the bar and puts it under his arm to supply resistance while he does the pull-up. This solution works but it hurts and cuts his armpit. The Pull-Up Assistant was designed to allow him to do pull-ups in comfort. This device consists of a silicone shell with foam padding to keep the exercise bands from cutting his arm. There are two parts, One that covers his underarm and one that covers the rise of his torso. There is a hard bridge between these pieces keeping his arm roughly in one position.

The Brief is due Monday morning by 9:00AM. Please wait to complete the brief until you have received comments about your outline. Many outlines have already been commented upon, the rest should be completed shortly..

Remember, all documents related to the brief are found HERE. These include a note from the writing coach and the Composition Reminder Sheet.

Now that you have created an document that outlines all of the information you want to relate in the Brief, it is time to weave that information together into a strong narrative that ties together the Why, How and What and Who of your project through clear, cogent writing. Tell the story of how your idea was born, developed, and manifested.

Create 1 post titled “The Brief” in the Writing tab with text that includes the following 2 items, numbered:

1. A 1-2 sentence project description for your transcript. This will serve as the basis of the Project Description that appears in your transcript. This description should not include the name of the project and should be written in the third person. This was Question 1 in your Outline.
   examples:
   Night Light Blankie: A child's sensory blanket that provides comfort and privacy in the high stress environment of the hospital using weight, textures, and light. The blanket transforms into a mini light up fort over a child’s head.
   Cocoon: a shroud that explores human spirituality and the concept of life after death through the use of repetitive religious iconography. Composed of over 300 pieces of laser cut balsa wood lined with space tape, the icons are arranged using a mathematical strange attractor.

2. A 1-2 paragraph brief for your project based on the description below. This will be based off the information you put together in your Outline and should focus on style. The NuVu writing coach will give you feedback and you will have the opportunity to revise this text before the final presentation. The primary purpose of The Brief is to explain, entice, and convince the reader that your project is amazing and important. Imagine your project on display in the Museum of Modern Art. The Brief is hanging on the wall next to your work. In 1-2 paragraphs, a viewer should understand what your project is, why it exists, and how you made it, and who it is for. More importantly, the viewer should be interested and care. You will draw them into your project through a compelling narrative.
   
   Things to think about:
   • Use the information in your Outline. Do not simply put all of the answers together -- you must weave it together into a clear story.
   • The what is a clear statement of the thesis or problem+solution. Your project description for your transcript (#1 above) can be adapted for this purpose.
   • The why explains how your project changes the world. It is the reason your project exists – what social issue is it engaging, who is your project helping, how does the project change the world, and what important social, intellectual, or technical questions does it raise? The scope of the why can vary widely.
   • The how briefly explains what technical prowess, innovative methods, or cool materials you used in your solution.
   • The who explains who will use your design, why they will use it, and in what context.
   • Think of the reader - it is good to imagine that a college admissions officer AND a potential employer in the field of your design should both be able to understand and be excited by the project based on your writing.

Write in the Third person in an explanatory fashion. Resist using I, WE, OUR, or YOU and focus on describing the work.

Here is an example from Penelope the Pain-O-Monster:

Pediatricians and other doctors find it challenging to collect accurate self reported information from children about their level of pain due to lack of communication skills, fear, anxiety, and discomfort. Traditional 1-10 pain scales do not fully address these issues, often leading to uncomfortable children and inaccurate symptom information. Penelope the Pain-O-Monster is a cute plush toy that uses integrated pressure sensors to allow children to express their source and level of pain through play.

A previous project, The EmoOwl, helped children with autism to express themselves by translating motion into color. Penelope the Pain-O-Monster grew out of the desire to expand children’s health menagerie with a different stuffed animal, one that makes the pain charts patients use to express their pain more interactive and easier for a child to use. Because research has shown that playing with stuffed animals can take children’s mind off pain, an additional “Fun” mode was added to distract from pain and anxiety. The handcrafted stuffed animal uses force sensors in different body parts that light up from blue to red depending on how hard they are pushed to show the child’s pain level. The hope is that, as one of many future healthcare friends, Penelope can help sick children feel safer while providing more useful information to care providers.

The Final Post:

This post showcases your final design through two parts:

1. An Abstract that shows the final project a concise series of images and diagrams. Its purpose is to allow a viewer or visitor to understand the project in its entirety in a few brief minutes. It is mainly concerned with the What of your project but must contain an overview of the Why and your entire narrative arc. This part of your post will be used in your 2-3 minute NuVu community presentation and will likely be the portion reporters, colleges, and family will see first. 
2. The Process which tells the comprehensive story of how your idea was born, developed, and manifested. The arc of the story should encompass the, How of your project in a compelling narrative. It showcases your design process including your brainstorming, each of your iterations, and your final prototype. It allows the viewer to delve deeply into your process. This post will be used in your review presentation at the end of the session. 

The title of this post must be The name of your project. 

Slides:

The Final post has 15-20 slides. Every slide MUST have a title. Captions are a good idea as well.

ABSTRACT PORTION
I this section you are showing the main concept and design of the project. The abstract is an overview meant to excite the viewer. You should not plan to describe the entire project in this section.

1. TITLE WITH TAGLINE (1 Slide): This slides shows a crisp, clear final image and the title of your project. with a pithy blurb describing the project. The image, name, and tagline should draw a viewer in. 

Examples:

• The Fruit - A line following, light tracking robot
• Segmented Vehicle - A vehicle that conforms to the landscape
• Cacoon - Wearable sculpture exploring the concept of transformation and death

2. CONTEXT IMAGE: (1 slide) This is a single image that shows a clear precedent or evocative image. This image helps set up the why in a compelling way, sets the stage for your narrative, and will help frame the entire presentation. The caption of this slide (set with the Edit Captions button when editing your post) should be the text of the Thesis Statement/Problem & Solution. You will read these while presenting this slide. No Text on the slide.

3. THESIS STATEMENT / PROBLEM & SOLUTION SLIDE (1 Slide) : This is a TEXT ONLY slide for visitors to your portfolio. In consultation with your coach you will either create a Thesis Statement or state the Problem/Solution. You will skip past this slide in the presentation as you will have read the content in the Context Image.

Problem/Solution: This works best for a project with a clear problem that leads to a describable physical solution.

This slide answers the questions:

• What is the problem I am trying to Solve? This is likely different for each project in a studio. Be clear and use the problem to set up the narrative for your presentation.
  • Example: The Problem: Design a vehicle for a mountainous world with difficult terrain to traverse.
• How did I solve it?. This is your 1 sentence project description with an optional additional 1-2 sentences. 
  • Example: The Solution: A segmented vehicle with a universal joint system that handles mountainous terrain by conforming to the landscape.

Thesis: Thesis statements are appropriate for a conceptual project with a nuanced or complex generative narrative. Your thesis states the Why and How clearly and succinctly in 1-3 sentences.

• Examples:
  • The Cocoon:  A wearable sculpture that explores the concept of transformations and death. The Cocoon explores the spiritual journey beyond the human experience; what it means to be human, how wonder effects us, and the concept of what happens after death.
  • Body Accordion: A musical prosthetic that translates the wearer’s body movements into a dynamic multimedia performance. The Body Accordion converts flex sensor input to sound through Arduino, MaxMSP, and Ableton Live. 
  • Seed to Soup Animation: A whimsical animation about the slow food movement. Seed to Soup showcases a holistic method of cooking. From garden, to kitchen, to dinner table.
  • Antlers: A wearable sculpture inspired by antlers found in the deer and antelope family. "Antlers" explores the comparison between armor and attraction. 

4. FUNCTIONAL DIAGRAM: A diagram showing some aspect of the functionality. These can include:

• How one uses or interacts with the project
• The overall behavior of the project over time
• For a complex interactive project, this can be a clear diagram of the software behavior\

5. FINAL IMAGE: (3 slides) The last slides should have an image of the final project. These images should be taken in the photo booth, cropped, and adjusted for contrast, brightness, etc. You can also use an image In-Use. Consider using a GIF to show how the project works. You will NOT describe the whole project here, simply show the completed project before going onto the Process. 

PROCESS PORTION

6. PRECEDENT SLIDES (2 slides minimum, 3 slides maximum):  Precedents are any projects that inspired you creatively or gave you technical guidance. No Text.

• 1 Slide - Conceptual Precedent
• 1 Slide - Technical Precedent
• 1 Slide - Additional Precedent

7. INITIAL SKETCHES/CONCEPT DIAGRAM (1 slide minimum, 2 slides maximum): These slides show your initial, generative ideas in sketch form. You can think of this as a sketch of the big idea, it is the chief organizing thought or decision behind the design presented in the form of a basic sketch or diagram. If you do not have a clear concept sketch it is fine to make one after the fact. These should clean, clear drawings. No Text.

8. ITERATIONS: (3 slides minimum, 5 slides maximum): The next part of the process post are the iterations you documented in your daily posts. Explain your design decisions and how your project changed at each step.

• For build studios, choose 3-5 representative iterations of your project with 1 slides per iteration. The images should show clear, major design changes. 
• For digital or graphics studios, have a slide for each important design decision. Generally it is best to avoid screen shots. These could include:
  • A storyboard slide
  • A slide with multiple images showing graphical character development.
  • Stylistic explorations

9. DIAGRAMS: (1 slides minimum) Diagrams of the final project.

Build studios will need at least 1-2 additional diagrams:

• Construction Diagram:  A diagram offering insight on how the project is put together
  • Ideally, this will be an exploded axonometric
  • At minimum this can be a labeled disassembled photo  
• Electronics Diagram: A circuit schematic showing project inputs, outputs, and architecture.

Digital studios should have a diagram of the storyboard and flow of the project.

10. ADDITIONAL FINAL IMAGES: (3 slides minimum, 5 slides maximum) Additional final images showing the culmination of your process. You should include:

• 2-3 Images in the Booth. Make sure they are cropped, adjusted, and look great.
• 1-2 Images in Use

In this studio we will be empowering  wounded veteran athletes with amputations, by improving training or performance devices that enable them to further perform their favorite Olympic competitive sport. These include, but they are not limited to, cycling, archery, track and field etc.