Welcome to Kikodot
Revolution one leg at a time
In the world today there are many who are missing limbs, whether it be from loss of a limb or lack of a limb at birth. The natural solution to this was to develop human prosthetics, but this problem reaches beyond homo sapiens. Animals are just as effected by missing limbs and as such need prosthetics too. The Kikodot Cat Prosthetic has been developed to help bridge that gap for cats.
More About Kikodot
Abstract
In the modern world there have been many strides in the engineering community to perfect human prosthetics. The main goal of a prosthetic is to eventually have an artificial limb that can replace a functional one. However, while there have been many strides towards perfecting human prosthetics it is time to shift attention to the animal kingdom. There aren’t very many options for animals in terms of prosthetics. The goal of the Kikodot Cat Prosthetic is not just to create a functional and cheap prosthetic for cats but also to demonstrate the ease and low cost with the advent of 3D printing. The project has three goals to achieve; reliability, affordability, and functionality. The main problems with 3D printing were highlighted early in the project in that one has to carefully consider if a design can be printed properly; there were many designs that did not lend themselves well to be 3D printed and therefore were discarded. While the basic design of the prosthetic will work for most cats, the inner workings of the prosthetic must be designed for each client, in this case the prosthetic was modified for the cat of the lead engineer. The final design will allow the amputee to move 10 feet 10% faster than without the prosthetic. The prosthetic can be fully assembled at the cost of $25.
For an in depth introduction of the prosthetic click here
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Kikodot
Exceeding Your Expectations
Outreach Summary
Project
The Kikodot prosthetic cat leg.
Description
The device will be shaped like an average cat’s leg. It will be 3D printed and adjustable from four to seven inches. The coloring will be white or black (this will depend on what is in the lab/what materials the team can acquire).
Anticipated Technical Merits
The primary goal of this project is to provide comfortable mobility to animals that have lost limbs. While there are currently some devices existing to help with this goal this project will provide more of a limb replacement rather than a limb substitute.
Requirements
One of the first problems that this product needs to address is the ability to support the weight of the animal. For the first couple of tests the assumed weight of the subject is fifteen pounds.
Optimization
This project will have several opportunities for optimization especially when it comes to the weight and cost of the project, these aspects will be changed accordingly for maximum efficiency of the project.
Challenges
Challenges that may be faced in this project will include making the project more flexible for the mobility of the animal and the ability for the project to withstand forces.
Industry Requirements
From the industry I will need 3D printing materials as well as any data on the movement of animals.
Construction
While designing the Kikodot Cat Prosthetic many factors were considered but safety and cost were the highest priority. As a result most of the prosthetic is 3D printed and the harness was put together by hand. The other parts will need to be bought if machining them is not an option.
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The safety factor comes in with the types of materials. The PLA plastic is smooth, and what isn't will be sand down for a smooth finish. The sleeve has a cushion in it for the animal's affected area and the springs will have small housings as not to pinch the animal.
Building
The prosthetic comes as several parts that will be assembled by the handler. It is made to be modular to adjust for cat size.
Testing
Tests:
-Comfort: In order to test how comfortable the prosthetic is for the animal a series of aspects must be measured. The first thing most animals do if they are wearing something uncomfortable is bite at it so the cat must be able to wear the prosthetic for at least 2 minutes without biting at it.
-Mobility: The main purpose of the prosthetic is to increase the cat’s mobility. Using a laser pointer the cats will be timed on how fast they get from one place to another. This test will be done multiple times, 3 trials, with and without the prosthetic.
Budget and Scheduling
As previously stated cost effectiveness is one of the highest priorities. The budget for the prosthetic was originally $100 but this has been shaved down to approximately $50 for construction. One of the main things to consider in the budget is if any mistakes happen in the printing process or if parts need to be reprinted for a better design. The project is on schedule to be completed by Spring 2019.
