We Made It, Sorta. – Sarahi V.

Not too long until we finally get to the end of this journey, it feels like yesterday we really had no idea how we were going to actually come up with a joint protection device. To say we’ve come a long way would be understatement. We have started our final product which has two layers of a cotton polyester blend and a compressive spandex with strips of white elastic on the side in order to allow the device to be easily slipped on. It’s a work in progress but I am confident that it will be finished by next class. Compared to our many prototypes that we built along the way, may they rest in peace, our final product is exceptional. Our first prototypes were made out of socks, white elastic, rubber bands, paperclips and popsicle sticks.

We worked with the materials we had and our bright vision. For a first prototype it looked great and functioned okay, afterwards we began to work on the functioning portion. Making sure it compressed where we needed to an
d the popsicle sticks kept the knee from twisting. We improved it by making it more customer friendly, instead of the strap going all around the knee we stitched the elastic to the sides. Not only will it allow our users a more comfortable feel but it will be easy to slip on. The popsicle sticks were also a bit of a bummer since they didn’t flex like we wanted them to. Right now we are working on 3D printing

two hinges for the sides of the product. These hinges will be slipped inside of the product when needed and allow flexion throughout the knee but at the same time keep the joint from twisting or any other movement that might tear the ACL or PCL. Our improvements really reflect on how much we have all grown as a group. ¾ of ReJoint Inc. has learned how to sew, we all know the ligaments that surround the knee and their purposes, and of course the importance of a joint protection device. When we did the walk a mile challenge most of us complained about the product we had to have on for a whole day, I couldn’t imagine somebody wearing that during practice or worse a game. Our materials are not only breathable but stretch without losing its nice compression, something the knee device didn’t do. In my last blog post I said “I see a great future for us, I’m extremely confident that we will do very well and all of this hard work will pay off (eventually)” our future has been nothing but been bright and I am grateful for every minute I spend with my partners. I couldn’t ask for a better team, this has been a learning experience for all us. Our work is not done yet, we will continue to work hard and we cannot wait to show everybody what ReJoint Inc. has to offer.