Integrated Design Process for an Elbow Joint Rehabilitation Device

Abstract

In this study, we propose a design agenda for an integrated design process that considers not only industrial design factors, such as form and usability, but also engineering design factors, such as measurement and certification. Our design agenda is targeted at South Korea’s upper-limb rehabilitation context. By referring to Lawson’s design process model, we designed an elbow joint rehabilitation device based on design requirements derived from user interviews, observations, and desk research. Our design was thoughtfully crafted to consider various guides for factors like form, engineering, usability, certification, and development. As the final design outcome, a working prototype was developed and applied for patent and design award registration. We hope that our design will contribute to South Korea’s upper limb rehabilitation industry’s device guide. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.