Amputee Apparel for Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb

The team created a pair of pants for the original prototype and sent it to the client. The client liked the design, so the team moved forward with creating the same design. Both sides of the legs were cut to length and sewn off.  The pockets for the glutes were double layered and fit to the shape of the pad. The pocket material was made out of a flexible nylon fabric to make putting the pads into place a simple task. The hip pads were made of a single layer of fabric and a small hole was created for the pad to get put into. The pant material fit the needs required by the team: a 65/35 polyester to cotton blend that provided a waterproof layer, was durable, and the stitching did not encourage debris to get in. The design goals the team could test without the client met the goals the team had set at the beginning of Fall of 2020.  

Pads 

There are two different pads used on the pants. The pad for the glute is a hard-shell pad because of the way Travis likes to climb up backward. The glute pads need to be rigid upon use to ensure the shearing force does not damage the pad. The glute pads are able to fit Travis’s lower extremities to a custom fit, forming to the surrounding surface when exposed to air. After approximately thirty minutes of forming, the pads transform from a gel-like enclosure to a hard, rigid, and lightweight forming pad. The pads used for the hips have some porosity and are soft, simply to add enough protection to the hip pointers on the occasion that Travis is fatigued, and uses a lateral climbing technique as indicated in our initial interview. The pads on the hips are not hard because that would impede the range of motion which is incredibly important for the climb. The pads were picked due to their hexagonal geometry, which is favorable upon distributing forces. The pads are held via a nylon fabric to allow for material flexibility, as well as keeping the pockets secure inside of the pants. 

Thread 

The thread used for the pants is a Nylon Thread, due to the fact that nylon is very durable and can withstand a lot of forces. The thread was done on a stitch length of three which creates tight stitches to ensure debris cannot get into the pants. The end of the pants and around the pockets have two lines of stitches. One stitch is a zig-zag stitch, and the other is a straight stitch to provide as much durability and structure to the pants and pockets as possible.  

Pants 

The pants chosen by the team were waterproof and provided good durability during the testing. The pants are labeled as lightweight tactical pants which fits the needs for the climb, due to the multiple different weather conditions upon the Lemosha Trail. The pants are 65% polyester and 35% cotton. They are water repellant which is desired by the team. The pants are earthy colors as requested by the client.  

Travis and the team at QL+ have tasked us with retrofitting an existing pair of gloves to make them more abrasion-resistant on the knuckles and palms. Initial designs were made to sew a completely new set of gloves, but this design quickly lost steam due to the intense labor and sewing skills needed to sew professional gloves. After reviewing the material testing on multiple types of leather, the team decided to go with goatskin for its superior abrasive resistance and its flexibility to fit Travis’ hands without causing irritation. The team decided to add protective areas to the gloves using Bedliner to provide an abrasion resistive surface as well as extra padding to provide comfort. To protect the wrists, wrist straps were purchased by the team to better support Travis when he walks on his palms. These straps are typically used for lifting but supply excellent protection for this application as well when support is needed to reduce wrist flexion. 

Gloves

To achieve the desired level of abrasion resistance while still allowing the gloves to remain flexible, a rubberized material used for pickup truck Bedliner known as Line-X was used for high-wear sections of the gloves. The Line-X sections were created using a stencil held above a simple cotton fabric, which was then cut into the required pieces. The pieces used in the stencil came from a disassembled prototyping glove. They were originally used as leather reinforcement in key areas of the glove, as the palm and back of the hands. The team also decided to craft some novel stencils for the fingers as well. Altogether, the stencils created amounted to about three gloves of material to allow for some extras. These pieces were glued and/or sewn onto the gloves in the desired locations. With these Bedliner sections of the gloves attached, the abrasive wear resistance of the gloves will be greatly improved, along with additional increases in overall protection. The figure below shows the initial cuts of material before trimming, refinement, and attachment. 

Waterproof

Using a natural waterproofing material, the team decided to increase the applicability of the gloves in wet climate zones to keep Travis’s hands dry and protected from excess moisture. However, this will lead to an increase in sweat from Travis’ hands so we have recommended to him to let the gloves “air” out three times a day to help maintain healthy hands.

Wrist Protection

This solution was already designed and manufactured. These wrist straps are an optional component to our gloves, but they provide safety against sprained wrists and overextension while moving around. The design starts at a thumb loop and wraps around the wrist to the user’s desired tightness. The tighter the glove the more protection against injury but also the greater chance for the user to lose necessary circulation to the hands. The wrist straps will prove an asset to Travis as he ventures up and down Kilimanjaro.

Ashlyn Orr will be graduating with her BS in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Biomechanical Engineering. She will be continuing her studies at Mines studying Materials and Metallurgical Engineering. As project lead, Ashlyn makes sure the client gets all the details to the client to ensure they are up to date with progress and can give feedback as needed. Outside of school, Ashlyn enjoys spending time outside with her dog.