SLIP
an intuitive tool for therapeutic balance training
Problem
Balance training is an important tool in the rehabilitation of patients who have or will undergo a traumatic fall. There are currently no convenient ways for physical therapists to create a controlled and unexpected slip in a safe environment. Therapists currently resort to traveling to an ice rink or not completing balance training at all.
Role
I worked for Shirley Ryan AbilityLab as the intern project manager of SLIP to research, design, and manufacture a final prototype for long term use in therapy sessions. The project brief for SLIP came to us as an unsolved challenge from a product design engineering class at Northwestern University.
Users
SLIP is designed for physical therapists and traumatic fall patients, including individuals who have experienced stroke, multiple sclerosis, or balance deficit to promote a straightforward path to health and mobility.
Research
Insights were gleaned through in use field testing, extensive patient and therapist ethnographies, materials selection, market analysis for future development, and interface testing through paper mockups.
Requirements
The main requirements we found were that slipping must be unpredictable, the device must be portable, slip distance must be adjustable, slipping must be mainly lateral, and the finished product must be durable for long-term use with a safe, clean look.
INITIAL MOCKUPS - six different forms and mechanisms were constructed by both the original student team and the summer intern team. These mockups were inexpensive, simple, and designed to test different types of slipping, portability, scale, and therapist interface. Based on these builds, we set criteria to improve upon in future iterations.
ABILITYLAB BRAND - to look professional, safe, and inviting SLIP must match the AbilityLab brand standards while looking durable to patients.
FABRICATION - fabrication was carried out in the student prototyping shop at Northwestern University by myself and two other interns.
Final Form
The final prototype of SLIP utilizes panels with adjustable stops and high traction rubber surfaces to control unpredictable slippage along parallel tracks of wheels. The total track is seven feet long and thirty-five pounds in use and folds into a single self contained, rollable, format for movement and storage.
