1. Hi Gabriel! Thank you for joining us. Could you tell us your background and a bit about yourself?
Sure, thank you for having me here! My name is Gabriel Costa Ganzarolli and I’m 22 years old. I graduated from Industrial Design at the São Paulo State University (UNESP) and just created this Parametric Prosthesis project for my Master’s Dissertation.
2. What fascinates you the most about Parametric Design?
What fascinates me the most is the sheer amount of possibilities that Parametric Design provides. I’m always discovering new things that can be done with it. It’s almost unlimited! I truly believe that Parametric Design is the future of the creative world.
3. How and when did you come up with this Parametric Prosthesis?
The idea came to me while I was doing some research for the Ergonomics and Interface Laboratory at my University. I was studying the self-esteem levels and stigma associated to the use of orthopedic prostheses.
I noticed that many patients had great discomfort with the appearance and especially the symbology (lack of identity cause by the replacement of a body member with a mass-produced industrial part) of the artifact.
I realized that with Parametric Design I could potentially create an interface that would allow patients to easily create unique “covers” for their prosthesis.
4. Who is it aimed for and how does it work?
The public is patients of the public healthcare system in Brazil that receive a simple prosthesis and many times can’t afford any type of customization for them.
The main concept of my project is this editable outer shell, or the “cover”. Any user can create this on his/her own and then 3D print it at their local FabLab. They only need to know the measurements of the prosthesis and the dimensions of their leg so they can insert the proper heigh and width of the cover into the interface.
They can also choose if the prosthesis corresponds to the right or the left side. The other parameters are focused on the appearance of the cover, but since it’s merely a decorative item, a doctor is not really needed.
5. Do you think this would’ve been possible without Grasshopper or Parametric Design in general?
Not at all! The whole project is based on the possibilities allowed by Grasshopper and Parametric Design. With these tools I was able to create an interface that allow any type of user to change the characteristics of the product by simply modifying a parameter in their computer.
6. What’s the future of this project? Where would you like to see it go?
The idea is to keep feeding the website with new models. I don’t plan on ever monetizing it. It was born as an open-source project and it will stay like this. I just really hope to see more people using these prostheses more often!
7. That’s fantastic! How can people reach you?
If anyone wants to collaborate or has any idea or suggestion, please feel free to reach me either via Instagram (@gabrielganzarolli) or via email to gabrielganza@gmail.com. I’ll sure be glad to get in touch with anyone who has interest in this project.
Thank you very much for your time Gabriel! This is an amazing project and we wish to see it grow and evolve even further.
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That’s it for our fifth episode of Parametric Dreams! Would you like to be featured in this space? Make sure to contact us! Just send an email to contact@shapediver.com and tell us about your work!
Scan-to-print
Clinics and brands run the Grasshopper definition behind their orthoses, insoles, or eyewear as a browser app: upload a scan, get a print-ready file.
