Laparoscopic surgery significantly improves clinical outcomes over open procedures by reducing infection risks, postoperative pain, and recovery times. However, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the widespread adoption of minimally invasive surgery remains severely restricted by the high acquisition costs, continuous electrical power demands, and fragile optical architectures of conventional laparoscopic tower systems. This thesis presents the design, development, and validation of an ultra-low-cost, modular USB laparoscope engineered as a direct replacement for commercial instruments in routine surgical procedures.

Adopting a human-centered, context-driven design methodology, functional requirements were formulated through a literature review, live surgical observations, and semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals experienced in low-resource environments. These evaluations established that device robustness, ease of reprocessing, and on-site repairability decisively outweigh kinematic versatility and minor cost differences.
In the preliminary phase, four commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) CMOS camera modules were quantitatively benchmarked against state-of-the-art clinical laparoscopic towers (Stryker 1688 and Olympus OTV-S7) using standardized ISO optical metrics. While the commercial reference systems demonstrated wider diagonal fields of view and superior low-light robustness, the low-cost CMOS modules exhibited lower color reproduction errors (Delta E and Delta C) and significantly reduced geometric barrel distortion (under -1.8% versus up to -4.9%). The 2-megapixel GC2755 module was selected for prototype integration due to its superior spatial sharpness at functional working distances (20–50 mm) and its compact footprint, which uniquely enabled a fixed 30-degree oblique viewing angle within a standard 12 mm outer diameter stainless steel shaft.
A functional prototype was fabricated incorporating an in-shaft distal housing with isolated forward-facing LED channels, an independent acrylic optical window, and a modular, two-part PETG handle featuring an elastomeric O-ring seal, brass cable gland, and tactile orientation indicator. Manufactured at a total component bill of materials (BOM) cost of €45.53, the scope interfaces directly via a single 5V USB cable to a standard laptop, eliminating infrastructural dependencies on external light sources and dedicated processing units.

Mechanical characterization confirmed structural resilience under operational tensile (25 N), torsional (1.7 Nm), and transverse bending loads. Thermal testing verified that steady-state operating temperatures at the distal tip plateau at 38.1°C, remaining safely below the 48°C tissue-injury threshold while closely matching physiological core body temperature (37°C), providing an intrinsic anti-fogging effect. Finally, an evaluative usability study with six practicing surgical professionals yielded a median System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 83.75 (mean 83.75 ± 9.05), substantially exceeding the 68-point clinical acceptability baseline. The participating surgeons confirmed that the prototype can be operated intuitively without retraining and possesses adequate optical fidelity for diagnostic and basic surgical procedures, establishing a viable foundation for accessible minimally invasive surgery in resource-constrained settings. ... Read more

The Nahuel Huapi National Park, in the Lake District of Northern Patagonia, Argentina, is well known for its tourism industry all year round. After COVID-19, the area saw a significant increase in the number of tourists traveling to the area. This means that the lake located in the heart of the district, Lago Nahuel Huapi, is being used more and more to explore the environmental richness of the area by boat. Now, the capacity of mooring spaces is no longer sufficient in the region, resulting in the construction of illegal private docks along the shore. To reduce this impact on the environment the authorities granted in 2024 a concession to develop one of the last not yet commercialized marina’s in the region: the marina in Bahía López.

This report provides a consult for the concessionaire of this development. The process begins with a research phase, consisting of an area study, and the mapping of environmental and hydrodynamic constraints. Subsequently, stakeholders are categorized, as the development of a marina in a national park entails complex regulations from multiple organizations. The outcomes of the research phase are translated into specific functional requirements for the marina. These functional requirements are the basis for the next phase, the design phase. This phase begins with the formulation of a design vision statement, formulating the project response to local conditions. Based on this, three different conceptual designs with various technical solutions are developed. Through a multi-criteria analysis, the concepts are tested on their robustness in order to chose a final concept. This concept is then elaborated into a preliminary design. Presenting an overview of the marina’s facilities, including structural designs, operational needs, and capital costs. Finally, suggestions for future development
are provided, outlining the next steps to advance the marina to a next phase.
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