Prosthetic Limb Cover Prototypes

What does ProAesthetics mean? It is a term coined by the designer Damian O’Sullivan in 2003 for his own exploration into the artistic and emotional value of experimenting with materials in the creation of assistive devices, such as creating a delicate floral porcelain cast for a broken arm to mirror the fragility of the bone beneath the flesh. It is prominently an exploration of assistive technology as an artistic medium, viewing how the body and extensions of it interact with the world. But outside of a gallery, what role does ProAesthetics play in the lives of disabled people? Aesthetics play a large role in self perception, however options for custom prosthetic limb covers are few and far between.

This project aimed to explore the design process of alternative and customized limb covers for amputees through an iterative co-design process and how these custom covers impacted their self-perception. Individuals who have limb deficiencies found that they often experienced distress or a disconnect with their prosthetic limb due to its appearance and some eventually abandoned their limbs due to this disconnect (Sansoni, 2015). This research project showed how the involvement of the amputee in the cosmetic design of their limb influenced how they perceive their limb and gave it a renewed purpose outside of mechanical constraints of function, which emphasized the need for co-designing in assistive technology. Five lower-limb amputees were interviewed for a case study regarding their personal cosmetic desires for their limbs. Data from these interviews shows a variety of aesthetic interests as well as a varied understanding of what is available cosmetically for lower-limb prosthetics.

Read more about the project here