This first six weeks are close to an end, and we have completed many tasks for the DAP project. We started by learning more about joints, and then choosing the joint that we will focus on the entire project and come up with an innovation to protect the joint when playing roller derby. We also at some point made a semi-replica of our joint, with the three articulating bones and the other supporting tissues. Then we went on to research more about the joint, and also about innovations already out there in the market. After that we started to brainstorm ourselves and coming up with our own ideas, and also coming up with questions for customer needs. And now currently we are looking at possible materials that we could use in our own innovation.
With this image from The Steadman Clinic, you can see the three articulating bones, the talus, fibula, and tibia, and the other tissues, muscles, ligaments and tendons, that also make up the ankle joint. Our job as a team, is to create a device that will protect this joint when playing roller derby. The ankle is hinge and condyloid joint, meaning its what allows you to rotate your ankle and move it up and down, dorsiflexion and plantarflexion. We are working on making a device that lets you still do these movements when using the device.
According to DerbyLife, sprained ankle occur all the time when playing roller derby, a sprain is when a ligament is overstretched. They have to wait a number a weeks until play again, and when the ankle is healed they have to wear a brace. But with our innovation their ankles will be protected, and will prevent sprains, strains, and fractures.
The image above is our preliminary design, this is what we have came up to start off with. Its not perfect, and we will certainly make changes along the way. Our deign right now consists of straps and some support on the sides with a plastic that still allows normal movements. We are also thinking about using nylon for most of the structure, but after going to see other materials at our field trip, we started to see many other useful materials.
A lot has happened since we started to work on this very important project, but I believe that my team is on the right track. We have learned from our mistakes from our last big project, which was similar to this one, but we didn’t create the innovation like we will in future.We have a lot of research done, and have learned a lot about the joint it self, we still need to research more about the sport it self and how it could affect our joint, and most importantly how we can prevent injuries. We also have a lot of good ideas that are possibly very great and successful ideas, we just need to work on them more. I truly believe that my team is in a good position to be successful with this project, I have no doubt on that.
StarPathDesign 
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