Weightlifting Sleeve
I collaborated with an engineering student to create a custom fit sleeve for a student athlete who required a prosthetic arm. The athlete, who has a small hand with no fingers and half a thumb, needed a prosthetic to help her lift weights, specifically for deadlifting. My role was to create a sleeve to be worn under a prosthetic arm prototype, to increase its fit and comfort.
Project: The engineering student provided a 3D model of the athlete's forearm and hand, along with fabric and a standard fingerless glove pattern. However, this original pattern was not the right size and shape for the athlete's hand, because her left hand is small and doesn’t have fingers. We needed a glove that would fit snugly and securely without touching the sensitive part of the top of her hand.
Making the Pattern: I began by taking measurements of the 3D model, and re-drawing the standard pattern based on those measurements. The first mock-up was still much too big, though, and the hole for the thumb was at the wrong angle, so I created an updated pattern by draping the mockup on the 3D model, and sketching and refining the pattern to match the contours of the athlete's hand and arm. The next mock-up fit much better, and just needed to be taken in a bit more so it would fit snugly.
