Key Terms: Mechanical design, Biomechanics, Machining

Awarded “Best Mechanical Engineering Project” at Georgia Institute of Technology’s Capstone Expo

I’m incredibly grateful to have been able to end my undergraduate academic career by winning Best Mechanical Engineering Project at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Capstone Expo, an exhibition of senior students’ entrepreneurial and industry-sponsored projects. Our team’s project, sponsored by restor3d, was to develop a new set of retractors for total shoulder arthroplasties. Current instruments provide limited shoulder joint access, cause strain, and are difficult to manufacture. I was joined by a phenomenal team: Claudia Vitale, Isabelle Gustafson, Lena Moller, Maxwell Gart, and Miguel Daly. The full poster is below including information on the design and manufacturing process.

Retractors are tools used in the operating room to maneuver muscle tissue and bone to give the surgeon better access to the problem. This project redesigns retractors for total shoulder replacement surgeries aiming to improve: ergonomics, shoulder joint access, and manufacturability. Completion of this project with validation through cadaver lab trials and orthopedic surgical consultations resulted in the development of 5 novel retractors capable of achieving improved access for implantation. These retractors will help surgeons make surgeries quicker and easier, in the long-term improving patient outcomes and reducing costs.

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My Role: Lead CAD Designer

Each team member focused on concept generation for a single retractor. My main technical role was to take sketches and in progress part files and make complete 3D models and DXF files for manufacturing. The project was highly collaborative, we split background research, concept generation, and documentation equally.

Ultimately this was a prototyping project. As members of the Invention Studio makerspace, our team was extremely familiar with fabrication processes. We were able to iterate quickly, taking feedback from our surgeon and sponsor team to generate the next round of retractors.

Bonus: Here are articles that featured our project. Click on the photos to read through them!