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Committee
Steven Doehler, Chair
Isil Oygur, Committee
Emily Flannery, Advisor
Under the advice of
Dr. Elise Binder, MD
Dr. Kyle Nordrum, PTDPT
Sthenos is a supported squat exercise equipment aimed at older adults with decreased motor skills due to age-related muscle weakness. The initiative investigates the impact of muscle weakness in older adults, along with related issues and contemporary solutions. The insights, together with guidance from geriatric physicians, lead to the development of early design directions for a supported squat training machine, as well as an implementable development strategy for the design's future implementation.
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PRESENTATION DECK
for quick breakdown, please see further below
FIAT Thesis Defense Final 2024.03.08.pdf
The research project started from my personal experience of seeing my grandmother suffer from chronic muscle decline after surgery. As shown in the mobility journey on the left, my grandmother experienced rapid muscle loss following the surgery, which led to further complications.
Initially, physical therapy helped her regain part of her mobility, but due to a lack of knowledge and proper exercise equipment at home, her condition began to deteriorate again.
This research project aims to explore solutions to prevent or mitigate this scenario.
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This research project is planned in two parts: research and design. However, various research methods are used throughout the process to inform the decisions.
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SECONDARY RESERCH
Literature reviews, market research, and ergonomic research were conducted intensively. At the beginning, literature reviews helped define the research topic and scope. Later on, secondary research was carried out in parallel with other processes throughout the project. The research findings are presented later on this page.
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PRIMARY RESEARCH
SURVEY
A survey was designed to gain insight into the daily lives of older adults, focusing on their exercise routines, preferences, equipment usage, and motivations.
It was distributed through electronic newsletters from reputable organizations such as OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), The Yoga Groove, and Parkinson Community Fitness. The survey consisted of thirty-nine questions, combining binary, multiple-choice, and open-ended formats.
A total of twenty-one responses were collected from individuals aged 60 to 86, with an average age of 72 and a median age of 75. Twelve respondents were female and nine were male. Two participants reported not engaging in exercise and were therefore excluded from the exercise-related questions.
INTERVIEWS
Semi-structured interviews with four experts are conducted. Two are medical experts, and the other two are trainer experts. The interviews consist of twenty open-ended questions. The questions are organized into four sections: (1) Personal information, (2) Exercise in older adults, (3) Resistant Exercise Training, and (4) Motivation to exercise in older adults.
The goal of the two types of experts is to compare the knowledge, thoughts, and beliefs of practitioners in a medical environment with those in a broader personal environment. The need for exercise can be less medical and more psychological.
For medical experts, two geriatric physicians were interviewed. Both are practitioners from Veteran Hospital, and most patients are older adults. One expert is a resident doctor; the other is a lead physical therapist from the same hospital. The interviews focused on medical information relating to the impact of resistance training in older adults and best practices in conducting resistance training. The interviews take around 60 minutes. At the end of the interviews, the experts were asked to participate further in the research as expert advisors, and both agreed.
For trainer experts, two personal trainers that offer older adults tailored exercise programs were interviewed. The interviews focused on general knowledge about resistance training, general exercise programs that older adults are participating in, the behavior of older adults in training, and motivation to exercise in older adults. The interview takes around 45 minutes. Both personal trainers also agreed to participate further in the development process.
MARKET RESEARCH
CO-CREATION SESSION
WITH EXPERTS
Types of exercise equipment in the market are collected and mapped into a two-axis map. The map is reviewed with geriatric physicians. It is found that most equipment in the market is cardio-based. Only free weights and leg press machines are considered strength-based.
The geriatric physicians expressed that the leg press machine is the best option for lower-body exercise. Currently, there is no in-home solution for a leg press machine in the market.
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RESEARCH RESULTS
The survey gave valuable insights regarding the respondents' current exercise routines, exercise preferences, and the factors motivating them to stay active. It was revealed that a majority of older adults are struggling with muscle weakness, which is significantly impacting their everyday lives. The survey findings also indicated that their primary reasons for exercising are to maintain a healthy lifestyle, to experience progress or growth, and to foster social connections. Interestingly, the last two motivations highlighted the need for digital integration in the exercise design.
Through interviews with personal trainers and geriatric physicians, valuable insights on solutions to combat muscle weakness in older adults are gathered. Firstly, three previously highlighted motivations were crucial for older adults to remain engaged in physical activity. Secondly, strength-based exercises were confirmed as a significant medical treatment for muscle decline. Additionally, the interviewees recommended squats as an excellent lower-body strength exercise for improving mobility. These insights were synthesized into design principles, which served as a guideline for developing initial design concepts. Furthermore, geriatric physicians suggested exploring mobility evaluation tools used in the medical field to better understand the target group's needs.
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SYNTHESIZE
The research results are synthesized into key takeaways. The key takeaways are then organized through the affinity mapping method into five categories.
DESIGNING MOBILITY MAP TO PINPOINT TARGET GROUP
One thing we learn from the research is that older adult is a wide agr range with high dispatiry of mobility level. It is important to pinpoint which mobility level the product would be designed for. Geriatric physicians suggest the use of 10 meters walk gait speed test which is normally used to gauge stroke patient recovery and mobility. Two mobility evaluation methods are analyzed and combined into a more comprehensive mobility evaluation charts.
MOBILITY LEVEL MAP
The mobility level map was created as a result of the previous step. It combines the two maps shown above, with a focus on mobility levels 1 to 3. The map also incorporates the gait speed test, a simple timed-walk test commonly used in the medical field to quickly gauge the mobility of geriatric patients.
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GENERATING DESIGN PRINCIPLE FROM INSIGHT
Design principles are generated from collected key takeaways. The principles are grouped into four categories, similar to the key takeaways they're taken from. These principles provide informed direction for the concept ideation process.
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CONCEPT EVALUATION CO-CREATION WITH EXPERT WITH MOBILITY MAP
Three rounds of concept sketching are conducted to ideate possible solutions. A total of 34 concepts are generated.
17 concepts that are most relevant according to the design principles are selected to evaluate with geriatric physicians.
During the evaluation process, the concepts are discussed and mapped according to their suitability to the users from each mobility level.
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DEFINE DESIGN CRITERIA
Overall comments from the geriatric physicians are collected and synthesized into design criteria which is used as a core guideline for further development.
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Anthropometric data are referenced to create skeleton models of 97.5 percentile male and 2.5 percentile female.
The model is used to measure the initial scale of the equipment and an initial guideline for the dimension of the equipment is created.
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Initial rounds of CAD development led to the realization that the designer lacked knowledge of equipment design. A quick design research for construction and materials reference was conducted.
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This development focused on metal profile construction which is commonly used in exercise equipment.
The design starts with seating position calculation followed by the body and other parts.
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The concept is pushed further to a more detailed stage. This first iteration is a boxy-shaped squat machine with rounded corners and brown fabric seats. It comes with inset-adjustable arms and rotatable monitor.
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This poster is createdfor survey purpose
DESIGN SURVEY AND INTERVIEW
After the first round, a design survey was created and sent out to geriatric population.
One key comment from the survey and review with experts suggested that a freestanding option might be preferable within this target group. With that, a freestanding option is created. The name STHENOS, strength, Greek, is picked here for the machine.
Usage diagram of 95th percentile male and 5th percentile female.
A design survey is sent out to older adults and interviews with geriatric physicians and personal trainers are conducted.
Both groups expressed that the side arms do not seem to be ergonomically proper. They also expressed that the design reminds them of medical equipment more than in-home equipment. Additionally, the current monitor placement also seems like an afterthought. Lastly, they expressed favor for the version with stands as it offers more freedom.
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Following the comments from interviews and surveys, the second iteration is developed. This iteration tries to offer frontward handles which will offer the more appropriate squat position. The design and material mimic those of design furniture with a goal to offer a design that is more appropriate in-home equipment.
The arm of the unit is designed with a telescopic mechanism in mind. This design decision allows the arms to be retracted into the holster and open the unit for entrance. The monitor is condensed into the arms to allow for less obtrusive instruction during squats and provide status updated during unused period.
DESIGN COMPARISION
A design comparison diagram is created and sent to older adults asking for likeness. 70% of respondents answered in favors to the cirve concept.
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Ergonomic review with anthropometric data found that the circle concept is ergonomically improper. The design did not account for the difference in posture between side arms and frontward arms.
The next iteration will try to address this issue.
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The third and final design was developed using researched ergonomic data to better accommodate user needs. During this stage, additional functional details were added to the unit.
Additionally, an application was created to facilitate connection between the user and their family through shared exercise results. Due to time constraints, both the physical and digital components of the design remain at the conceptual stage.
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CONCLUSION
In conclusion, geriatric physicians believe that, with proper implementation, a supportive squat machine could help improve the mobility of older adults at mobility level 1 to maintain their mobility. And possibly helps older adults with mobility level 2 and 3 to regain mobility. Furthermore, the mobility level evaluation map proves to be a valuable tool for analyzing target groups for mobility-based equipment.
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Lastly, drawing from my experience in the product design process, a development timeline was created to provide insight into the steps required to bring Sthenos to market. The estimated time to market is three years, as the unit relies on existing technologies. The main challenges are expected to lie in electronics and application development, along with regulatory compliance and product testing.
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