· · · Institutional Repository

COPD is the fourth largest cause of mortality in the world. Most commonly the result of long-term smoking, its symptoms are characterised by difficulties breathing making it hard for patients to perform the simplest of tasks without becoming short of breath. While exercising is difficult for these patients, maintaining good levels of physical activity is one of the most effective methods in prolonging the severity of the disease and maintaining a good health related quality of life. Current treatment for COPD is via pulmonary rehabilitation which typically involves an exercise component conducted through regular physiotherapy classes. In line with the World’s aging population, the number of COPD is predicted to increase by over 50% in the next 30 years, placing substantial demand on an already understaffed medical industry. However research suggesting the same health benefits of physiotherapy can be achieved through small increases in daily activity during free living conditions is presenting a new hope for tackling these predictions. Over the past three years the UMC Groningen have been experimenting with such programs and approached Evalan to explore the potential of incorporating pervasive technologies into the system. As such this work looks to build on the UMCG’s existing proposal to explore the potential and opportunities for adding value to such a rehabilitation program once pervasive technologies have been incorporated. The project was conducted over a 5 month period in cooperation with Evalan, an external company specialised in the development of IT based solutions for the medical industry, and explored the development of a Product-Service System (PSS) to aid in the Pulmonary Rehabilitation of patients with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). The report follows the structure of the project with the three main sections corresponding to the main phases of the project; Research, concept and embodiment. During the Research phase of the project an internal and external analysis was conducted, alongside primary and secondary research into the areas of COPD and Activity monitoring for physical activity. The results of this research phase were use to construct a ‘vision’, which became the basis for the concept generation phase. Before beginning concept generation, further research into Persuasive technology and its application in encouraging physical activity and context mapping techniques were used to gain deeper insights into users requirements for such a program. The results of this work were used to construct a list of required functionalities which was used to develop three concepts. These concepts were further detailed before, in cooperation with Evalan and the project supervisory team, one concept was deem to best meet the required functionality and selected for further development. As full embodiment of the entire system was not deemed out-of-scope for such a project, the system was embodied to a level at which expert feedback sessions with the medical professional who would potentially be using the device could be conducted. The feedback was used to implement changes in the proposal before the full embodiment of the physical monitoring device and the feedback was completed. Prototypes of both these aspects were created and tested with a group of COPD patients. The results and responses of which were used to construct a final list of recommendations for further development of the project. Finally a business model and plan were constructed for the company and further development of the project.

Main problem The results of the last three Olympic events showed that in the overall sailing medal rankings, the British sailing athletes win the most medals. Part of the success of the British can be explained by their constant thrive to innovate in equipment and training methods. Professionalization of the Dutch Sailing sport is needed to become one of the top sailing countries of the world. One important step in this professionalization process is innovation of sports equipment and training methods. Project goal The main goal of this graduation assignment was to develop a coaching system that contributes to the professionalization of the Dutch sailing sport. A coaching system should be developed which enables sailing coaches to receive, monitor, and process real-time performance data from sailing athletes. Project process A coaching system was developed by using a user centred design approach. The project is structured according to five main phases originated from the Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) format: 1) Analysis, 2) Ideation, 3) Conceptualization, 4) Embodiment, and 5) Validation. 1) The analysis phase focused on studying the current training context to identify all important user needs. This phase was concluded with a design vision. 2) The ideation phase was used to develop product idea sketches based on three identified important coaching system aspects. This phase was concluded with a clear product direction for the conceptualization phase. 3) In the conceptualization phase the product direction was translated into three product concepts, which were evaluated using a Harris profile. This phase was concluded with a final concept proposal. 4) The embodiment phase focused on elaboration of the final concept. This phase was concluded with a final design which was used to fabricate a functional prototype. 5) The validation phase focused on validating the final design on the predefined criteria. In addition, recommendations for the implementation of the product were described. Deliverables The result of this project is a portable coaching system, which contributes to the professionalization of the Dutch sailing sport. The identified user needs from the primary target group, the professional sailing coaches, are implemented in the design of the coaching system. The concept was proved by validating the design in a user test on three identified criteria: 1) Enhance the perception of the coaches 2) Allowing communication of detailed video feedback 3) Product is portable and easy to install In addition, recommendations for further development are presented.

In 2010 research institute TNO teamed up with office furniture manufacturer Markant Nederland B.V. and design agency Vormdrift, to address the rising problem of a passive lifestyle in the context of the office. Through the development of a work-workout product. The collaboration resulted in the workstation unit Oxidesk, at which a modest workout can be executed simultaneously during deskwork. Next to the need of a single workstation unit, Markant and TNO have shown that a need exist for an integrated set of workout units to be used in the meeting circumstances. This graduation report describes the design of the meeting-workout furniture. A furniture designed for the creativity centred work environments, which enables office workers to have a modest workout during a meeting. The final design of the meeting-workout furniture, is based on a four stage design process (analysis, ideation, embodiment and evaluation). Through initial research, the context of the problem has been explored. The research has shown, that in 2012, in the Netherlands 5.7 million people had a job during which the majority of the time they were in a seated position. Several studies classify office work as sedentary. A state of minimum movement by a person, which results in several increases of health risks. Secondary studies have indicated that the risks of sedentarism are equal to those of ill-movement (no workout at all). Thus office work, in its current conditions enhances the health risk of office workers. Although sedenterism can simply be broken by simple actions (e.g: reducing sitting, stretching, talking a walk, etc), it will require change in behaviour by office workers. For a more thorough tackle of the problem, several studies have been held on the combination of work with a workout. These studies, (including a study held by TNO) have indicated that it is possible to combine work with a workout. Next to the decrease of the health risks, working-out has a positive influence on the mental cognition. Office work is not only consisted of deskwork, but a significant time (30% for the majority of office workers and 70% for managers) is spend in meetings. Meeting time, is increasing with the developments of the creativity centred work environment philosophy. However, in general the majority of participants of meetings (44% of all Dutch, 75% of governmental officials and 67% of managers) feel that most meetings take too long. Thus a combined need exists for a meeting facility which is designed for the creativity centred work environment, enhances meeting efficiency and enables office workers to reduce sedentarism. Through the process of ideation and conceptualization, the final design of the meeting-workout furniture has been developed. The final design entails an integrated, but modular meeting-workout hub. In the hub, participants can discuss and have a modest “cycling” workout in a semi-closed environment within the open office environment. Depending on the hub configuration, 3, 4 or 6 meeting seats are available. The incorporation of a multimedia screen is optional. The basic configuration (4 seats, 4 wall panels) has a suggested sales price of €20.163,-. The meeting-workout hub enables office workers, to have a meeting, in a seated position, at a table. The workout, as it is executed by the legs, does not influence the meeting process. This has been validated by a user study executed with a functional model of the final design. The user study showed, that participants are able in combining a workout during a meeting. The user study has also indicated points of improvement on the design. However, as a total it can be concluded, that the graduation process was successful. A meeting-workout furniture has been developed, for the context in which it could be successful. Whereas the user study has validated the design.

Welding is a heavy and dangerous job; the heat, smoke, splashes, radiation and gasses that arise make protection very important. Good protective accessories are necessary. Welders use; gloves, glasses, jackets, hats and welding helmets to protect themselves. The extensive use of protective accessories and especially a welding helmet causes lots of comfort problems during welding activities. Most welders make long working days using their protection; therefore quality and comfort are very important aspects. Vlamboog is a supplier of welding accessories and personal protective equipment. Vlamboog produces electrode holders, gauging clamps and the Multi Vision welding helmets. These welding helmets are on the market for over 13 years and Vlamboog sees possibilities for innovation and improvement. That is why this graduation project was originated. An extended research on the welding market and the current protective accessories clarified the need for an innovative and more comfortable protective device. The current products offer sufficient protection for welding, but there is a lack of comfort in all day use. The safety regulations become more severe and the need for more advanced welding helmets is growing. The welding market is very conservative but more often combinations of welding helmets, safety helmets and fresh air units are used for personal protection. This research has led to a vision for designing a new protective device; that needs to become a successor of the Multi Vision products. The device should be multifunctional protecting welders in all their diverse activities. It needs to offer protection against all welding dangers; heat, radiation, smoke, flying particles and falling objects. Acceptation by the users is important; therefore it must be comfortable for all day use. Especially weight reduction and distribution are important, as well as robustness and protection aspects. The device needs to appeal to future welders. This vision is used in a design process and concept ideas where developed. These ideas where translated into three concepts and the one with most potential is selected. This concept is based upon the current product layout in order to be accepted in the conservative welding market. Some innovative functions are implemented and the whole product will be designed for full protection and comfortable use. During the third phase the embodiment design is made and the innovative functions are given form. The whole shell is designed for appeal and functions as base of the device. A concept for 2020 was created. And the design is translated into a prototype that is used for testing the new features. Most functions have potential to become successful. Although some changes need to be implemented for final production, the working principles are tested on their functionality. The complete design appeals well and has potential to become successful in the welding market. The process to market introduction has been described in the fourth phase of the project. This implies a product development planning with recommendation for design changes. The pricing and promotion strategies are mainly based upon existing structures within Vlamboog. The device will be branded under the Multi Vision brand. The project resulted in a new design which has potential on the market. The knowledge and resources of Vlamboog will enable welders of the future to use a more comfortable and healthier protective device during welding activities.

Airstacking is a relatively new treatment, intended for people suffering from a neuromuscular (or related) disorder. The disorder also affects the respiratory muscles. In order to keep the respiratory system in condition and prevent pneumonia, the lungs are inflated on a regular basis by means of a resuscitator balloon. The patient always needs assistance from the partner, a family member or a caregiver. This is not only inconvenient for the patient and the people around in a practical sense, but it is also perceived as a highly discomfiting experience by both patient and bystander. This graduation project has delivered a conceptual design for the complete product of the airstack buddy: an integrated device on the electrical wheelchair, that is always at hand for airstacking assistance. The airtube is delivered by an automated telescopic system, that is stored behind the user’s elbow and moves around the upper arm towards the mouth. The telescopic system has been detailed and evalutated by building and testing a prototype. The required airflow is generated by a compact blower, and electronically regulated by a passing valve, a flow sensor and a pressure sensor. The airstacking procedure starts when the user starts to breath in through the air tube. The system detects when the inhalation of the user declines and supports the inhalation by gradually supplying the generated airflow. The procedure is discontinued when the preset maximum pressure is reached or when the user releases the air tube.

The quality of visuals is getting more and more important in professional shows and events. Visuals are commonly managed through light consoles and media-servers. However, the control of these devices is complex and not suitable in `live´ situations. `Live´ environments are characterized by the fact that visual compositions are created in real time. The visual artist reacts to the environmental inputs by expression the mood and feelings visually on the stage. Midiator Pulsar is the new generation visual console for `live´ environments. It simplifies and provides a more user-friendly control of light consoles and media-servers. In this way, the new interface enables visual artists to create more appealing compositions in `live ‘situations. The software integrated in the system enables the user to manage all aspects (light and video technologies) of a visual show from a single point of control. Furthermore, the new working principle assists the visual artist by analyzing the environmental inputs and providing visual information. This aids the visual artist when matching visuals and music and helps improving the quality of the entire show. The appearance of Pulsar resembles the design style of the previous products from Midiator but providing a new look. The shape of the new device is clean and simple and consists of straight lines and rounded corners. The color range used in the design is neutral and keeps the overall look clean and minimalistic. The pulsar has been designed considering the hard usage that this kind of equipments suffers during the shows.

A net suspension chair is designed for terminally-ill people in nursing homes that supports the transfers with a sliding sheet. The focus is on comfort and the efficiency of transfers to support the daily activities of the users. When the users are nearing their end-of-life, it becomes hard for them to move their bodies and the regular wheelchairs will feels too hard for them. That's why a net suspension based on the hammock principle is used to decrease the discomfort for users and the chance of developing decubitus, also known as pressure ulcers. To support the transfers with a sliding sheet, the net suspension chair needs to be flattened out. A flattening mechanism is designed for this purpose. The combination of a comfortable net suspension with the ability to support transfers with a sliding sheet is unique for wheelchairs.

Upper extremity prostheses can be divided in two main categories: body powered and externally powered. Human powered devices are controlled by a force that is delivered by the user, which often involves moving a limb. In an externally powered prosthesis the energy is provided by an external powersource, such as a battery. The majority of these devices is actuated by picking up myo-electric signals from the user. Not many individuals with an upper limb absence use their prosthesis on a regular base. Rejection rates of 50% have been reported due to various reasons on both user-level (need for wearing, predisposing characteristics, availability) as prosthesis-level (comfort, control and functioning, durability and maintenance, cosmetics). For each type of prosthesis the reasons for rejection, the priorities of the user and the dissatisfactory properties are different. The dissatisfactions, expectations, reasons for rejection and most common usage of a prosthesis were combined into a vision, where durability, feeling comfortable (physical comfort and appearance), natural control (simple, fast, low effort, feedback) and the primary activities (grasping objects of daily living, possible manipulation of object by sound hand, stability, feedback, automatically adjust to shape object) were the major focus points. Based on this vision, a strong, low weight, multi-articulated, underactuated, body powered voluntary closing handprosthesis with multiple separate fingers was aimed for. Academic and commercial prostheses which had multiple (multi-articulate) finger integrated were evaluated and combined with self obtained knowledge which showed the pinchforce stability of the grasp are at stake due to the (obvious) counteracting leverages in the finger and the distribution of the actuation force amongst all the fingers. A second problem that was encountered was the dependency of each other of the phalanges and fingers when using an underactuated system. After consideration the best way to increase the pinchforce was to integrate a variable force transmission which provides a leverage after all the fingers have touched the object (speed of grasp is maintained, output force is increased and displacement decreases). The dependency of the phalanges is removed by using a one-way lock in the proximal phalanx, still enabling the mechanism to provide feedback to the user by the distal phalanx. Various mechanisms of the finger, one-way lock and variable force transmission were designed after which one of each was conceptualized. A prototype of the finger was made and evaluated. This resulted in the design of two improved fingers, of which one was made twice. The three prototypes were combined in to one hand, which was tested to grasp several objects of daily living. The outcomes were promising, as the mechanism appeared to function as intended.

Asthma and COPD are the largest chronic respiratory diseases. With an estimated 300 million affected individuals, asthma is a worldwide problem. Currently, it is estimated that 210 million people have COPD which is in 95% of all cases are smoking related. Annual worldwide deaths from asthma have been estimated at 250.000. Whereas COPD is believed to be the third cause of death by 2020, after heart - and vascular disease and cancer. Most asthma and COPD related deaths occur due to severe and acute exacerbations. The incidence of these exacerbations can be controlled with medications, though it appears that many patients are not compliant to their treatment regimen. Evalan – a health care-oriented innovation company based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands – requested to examine the possibilities to improve compliance to therapy and therefore decrease the incidence of exacerbations.

Light has a positive effect on people’s well-being. Most people feel more energetic and refreshed during bright and sunny summer days. When we are exposed to the right type of light, it helps to align our daily rhythm or wake us up more easily. Light can also influence our daily performance. Especially in the working environment, light can be an important aspect to boost visual performance, comfort, ambience and job satisfaction of employees. This graduation project consists of the explorations of future potentials for the use of lighting in office environments to optimize performance and productivity of employees. Based on extensive research both on current office environments in general as well as the experience of performance at work, several user issues are identified.

Nowadays, when someone is diagnosed with a traumatic unstable spinal fracture, the spine is fixated by surgery and the patient is prescribed to wear a corset brace for 8 to 12 weeks. The two most used corset braces are the lumbar and the thoracic corset brace. These corset braces are highly uncomfortable and prevents the patient from almost every movement. The task of the corset brace, however, is to limit certain movements of the back, but not to prevent every movement. Therefore a new solution will be designed within the scope of this project. The goal of this project is to design a comfortable and wearable device that monitors the spinal movement of the patient and provides direct feedback when pre-set boundaries are crossed. In this case the new device will warn the patient when a possible harmful movement is made. It will also transfer the data to the medical staff so they could adjust the rehabilitation program to the gained insights of the patient’s behavior. The doctor could also reset the boundaries from a distance. Pontes medical and the Academic Medical Center of Utrecht will facilitate the medical background of the project, 2M Engineering will be responsible for the sensors and other hardware and Evalan B.V will collect, reduce, interpret and transfer the collected data. An important part of the exploratory report is the research on the user and the context; this was done by the method of contextmapping. One of the main issues that can be concluded from the user research is the insecurity. Patients and their relatives are insecure about how much they are allowed to do with and without the corset brace. Also, several adjustments of the patient’s life have to be made when they return home. By taking all insights gained by the research into account, finally a vision on the interaction between the user and the future product could be formed. ‘I want people to be more comfortable, mobile and independent while they rehabilitate from a spinal fracture.’ The vision was the starting position for the development of the product. In order to develop several different aspects of the product, many researches were performed. The development started with principle solutions in structured in morphological charts, which lead to ideas and concepts. With the help of a Harris Profile, one of these concepts has been chosen and further developed. The product consists of four parts; a shirt, two sensor modules, a wristband and a docking station. The focus of this graduation is mainly on the development of the wristband and the shirt with the sensor modules. The two main functions of the product are telemonitoring and feedback. This feedback will be provided in two ways; direct and historic. The direct feedback is provided real-time and visualized on the display of the wristband and by a vibration signal in the lower sensor module. The historic feedback can be consulted online by both the patient and his physicians at any time. The product has three main unique selling points: • Lower costs Lower initial costs Less polyclinic visits Fewer adjustments by casting technician More opportunity for hospital to submit new patients • Fewer complications Less thrombosis No friction with the skin High level of comfort • Shorter rehabilitation time Boundaries can be reset on a distance according to the patient’s individual needs Supports correct training Less complications Higher level of independency of the patient

This report describes the “Remote Monitoring to Support Health Care” project in which an application is designed to ambulatory measure the movements of the human back. The final design of the application called the Remote Monitoring Navale Application is part of the existing Remote Monitoring System of Evalan. Together with the other components of the system, the RMNA is capable of ambulatory monitoring the movements of the patient’s back and to provide feedback which can be used to support the health care by improving treatments. The initial target group of the Navale Application is patients who are rehabilitation after a Hernia Nuclei Pulposi surgery through treatment at a physiotherapist. This target group is a result of an explorative study to search for new opportunities for the RMS of Evalan in order to increase their market off-set. During this study the market, the medical field, the stakeholders and future aspects of a new application are research and analyzed. The first conclusion of the analysis showed that Evalan should focus on health problems which treatments can be monitored with relatively simple and cost effective sensors. The second conclusion showed that there are three interesting combinations of medical treatments and monitoring possibilities; Osteoarthritis, Dorsopathies and Multiple Sclerosis. Finally the choice has been made to focus on the Dorsopathies and especially on the HNP patients. The target group can, after the development, be expanded to patients with health problems which are caused by or are in any other way related to movements of the (lower) human back such as chronic lower back problems. This is a very interesting option because yearly 1,6 million people have this complaint and it costs approximately nine billion each year in the Netherlands. The design of the RMNA comprises of a tight fitting garment with six flexible stretch sensors which will be worn under the clothes and assesses the movements of the back by measuring the elongation of the skin caused by the movements. The garment is especially developed to transfer the elongation of the skin to the attached sensors while maintaining a high level of comfort. A significant and yet unexplored aspect of the design is the locations of the flexible stretch sensors. The optimal placement is researched by conducting multiple tests with a prototype and by reviewing results of a finite element analysis of strain patterns on the back while performing movements by Mattmann (2008). The results are that the location for a flexion movement is vertically in the centre at the height of the L3-L5 vertebrae, the location for a lateral movement is vertically at the side of the body at the height of the L2-L4 vertebrae and the location for a rotational movement is diagonally, off-centre and at the height of the L3-L4 vertebrae. At the end of the project the design of the RMNA is evaluated by testing the performance of the prototype. The performance is defined as the ability to classify movements correctly and to measure the deflection of the movement accurately. At the same time the RMNA as part of the RMS is tested by adding a prototype algorithm which can translate the measurements of the RMNA automatically in a classification and the deflection of the movement. The results of this test show that the RMNA scores almost perfectly without clothes (classification 100% and deflection 95%) and a little less with clothes on top (classification and deflection 73%). The simple prototype algorithm has an average accuracy of 80%. The results of the test also indicated areas for improvement which are translated into recommendation for further development. The first recommendation is to adjust the RMNA to perform better with clothes on top. The second recommendation is to optimize the RMNA so that other movements of the body are having less influence on the sensors. The third recommendation is to improve the reliability of the software on the M-doc and to increase the number of sensor inputs. The last recommendation is to enable the algorithm to make iterative loops to optimize the accuracy of the classification and the deflection of a movement.

Sleep is important part of human life. Sleep is used to regenerate ourselves. Our physical and mental condition are strongly dependent of sleep. Research shows that there are multiple factors that have an influence on sleep. Auping wants to have a positive influence on sleep. Research of all possible factors is done, after which interesting factors for Auping are chosen to work with in the following phases. The main factor for the design is light. Altough scent and sound can also be directly produced, their effect is less clear. Because of the time these factors can be interesting factors for following projects. The idea and concept generation phase will lead to a final design: The CuBright. The CuBright will be embodied in the last phase of this report. After which, recommendations for Auping are made.

is a company that produces electric guitars and bass guitars. This assignment is for the part that connects the strings to the body of the instrument, called the bridge of the instrument. The bridges used for the bass guitars of Aristides Instruments are acquired from an external company and do not meet their technical and aesthetical requirements. Bridges need to be sufficiently tunable in several respects. Furthermore it has to have a certain quality in terms of visual and acoustical aesthetics. An existing bridge satisfying the needs of AI could not be found on the market. For this reason an alternative solution was sought for and this graduation project came into being. In this report the process from exploring the assignment to coming to an elaborate solution and a functional prototype is depicted. The design ended up being innovative, simplistic in product architecture and well-fit for the O5O in terms of technical and aesthetical qualities.

In the Netherlands there are approximately 10.000 visually impaired people younger than 24. This can make following classes in school quite challenging. They have trouble reading the blackboard, reading books and handouts and missing non-verbal communication of their teacher with the class. Missing out on a lot of information and always paying extra attention makes daily life considerably more complicated. The StudyKompanion concept aims to significantly improve the role of the assistive product in class from a magnifier to an all-round educational tool.

The master thesis report shows the process and result of the development of a optical cellular oxygen comsumption system for the diagnosis of Sepsis by using the fluoressing property of Protoporphyrin IX in the skin cells.