Carpal Skin
Wrist Splint
By Neri Oxman
2009-2010, 3D Print
Museum of Science, Boston
Carpal Skin is a prototype for a protective glove to protect against Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a medical condition in which the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, leading to numbness, muscle atrophy, and weakness in the hand. Night-time wrist splinting is the recommended treatment for most patients before going into carpal tunnel release surgery. Carpal Skin is a process by which to map the pain-profile of a particular patient—its intensity and duration—and to distribute hard and soft materials to fit the patient’s anatomical and physiological requirements, limiting movement in a customized fashion. The form-generation process is inspired by animal coating patterns in the control of stiffness variation.
Production: Stratasys
3D printed with Stratasys multi-material 3D printing technology
In collaboration with Prof. W. Craig Carter (MIT)
Photos: Mikey Siegel