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Blinking Orbtial Prosthesis

Project Overview

People of any age or gender may experience the surgical removal of an eye due to an injury, genetic defect, or disease. The use of an orbital prosthetic allows these individuals gain a sense of self-confidence and a more positive self-image. However, while prosthetics have been developed to create an incredibly realistic and aesthetically pleasing orbital device, they have failed to provide the appearance of functionality of a real eye. That is, the prosthetics are static and cannot blink. Our client desires for us to devise a mechanism which would allow for a prosthetic eye to blink. This mechanism will be used as a model in presentations to illustrate the blinking mechanism’s effectiveness and potential for further development. As such, our design does not have to meet the requirements for direct use by a client. However, we intend to expand upon our client’s original goal and look forward to the implementation of our mechanism into an actual orbital device. That is, we aim to meet some of the basic requirements for function in an actual orbital prosthesis through the development of our blinking mechanism. It is our hope that by doing so our blinking mechanism can easily transform from a working theory to the actual implementation of our design for an individual’s use in a prosthetic. Only by developing a mechanism through which an orbital prosthesis can blink can the steps toward developing a complete orbital prosthesis, one that includes both a natural appearance and the appearance of functionality, be undertaken.

Team Picture

Bret Olson, Michael Konrath, Justin Cacciatore, Blake Marzella
Bret Olson, Michael Konrath, Justin Cacciatore, Blake Marzella

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Contact Information

Team Members

  • Bret Olson - Team Leader
  • Justin Cacciatore - Communicator
  • Blake Marzella - BSAC
  • Michael Konrath - BWIG

Advisor and Client

  • Dr. Tom Yen - Advisor
  • Mr. Greg Gion - Client

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