Content warning: My project deals with pediatric sexual abuse. Please take care of yourself and feel free to forgo reading any parts of this blog. 

 

Now for the fun part- prototyping! My team began this week by creating low-fidelity prototypes of the five bases that resulted from our screening and scoring matrices. We quickly ruled out two of the five, as we felt that they were not as effective and efficient as the other three options. That left us with three base options: flip, swivel, and twist. All three were viable options and worked equally well, so we chose to consult our client. She indicated that she liked the swivel option best, leading us to pursue this base and rotation mechanism.

Left: Flip; Center: Swivel; Right: Twist

The swivel solution is a u-shaped base with a dowel rod running through it. A cylinder is permanently attached to the dowel rod. Different labia and hymen caps can then be screwed onto the cylinder. The model rotates by simply spinning the dowel and turning the base 180 degrees. Additionally, we plan to incorporate a notch system that will allow the model to lock into the supine and prone positions, as well as a variety of different angles to accommodate nurse position (sitting or standing, different heights, etc.). After our client indicated her satisfaction with the swivel base, we created a more medium-fidelity model of the solution that is sturdier and won’t fall apart when touched like our precarious low-fidelity model. 

Medium-Fidelity Prototype of the Swivel Base

Concurrently, our team worked on modeling the labia and hymen. For the labia, we acquired the CAD files from LUCIA, allowing us to scale down their mold and use it to create our labia. We 3D printed the scaled down mold, then used silicone rubber to cast the labia. Satisfied with the detail and appearance of the mold, we began testing other materials to find the one that most nearly mimics skin in texture, elasticity, and appearance. Smooth-On is a company that manufactures many different synthetic skin products, and we were able to test different varieties of Dragon Skin and Ecoflex. As of now, we think Ecoflex 30 is the best skin alternative, but we have ordered a few more materials to try. Additionally, we are meeting with a gynecologist next week to get her opinion on which skin would be best to incorporate into our model.

Left: LUCIA labia mold and silicone rubber labia; Right: Materials testing of Dragon Skin and Ecoflex

As far as the hymen goes, we have two options. Option one is to extend the LUCIA labia mold so the vaginal opening is covered with a thin layer of synthetic skin material. We could then simply cut the hymen out of the extra material. We did test this method with some of our synthetic skin samples, and our client indicated that the hymen did move correctly when performing labial traction. However, another key aspect of the model is that the hymen falls due to gravity when rotated from supine to prone, and we are not sure if this method could accomplish that movement. Option two is to create the hymen separately from the labia and attach the two using some kind of silicone adhesive. We have created some low-fidelity hymen using slime and silly putty, and we will continue exploring this option as we begin to finalize our materials.  

Left: Option one- cut hymen out of excess material; Right: Option two- create hymen separately from labia

On Thursday, Dr. Wettergreen, a Rice engineering professor with extensive design experience, stopped by to provide feedback on our design in the form of a prototype evaluation. Dr. Wettergreen was complimentary of our work, and he gave us numerous suggestions for enhancement. He recommended using an embroidery hoop to secure the labia and hymen and a bayonet mount to attach the two to the base. He also advised that we utilize a commercially available notch system to lock the dowel in place rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. This prompted our team to look into options like gears for the notching system. Overall, we are grateful for his feedback and ideas for further design iteration.

Friday marked the halfway point of this internship! They say time flies when you’re having fun, and that has held true so far! We were able to celebrate our accomplishments thus far with midsummer presentations, where we got to share our work with our colleagues. It was wonderful to see all the amazing work my peers are doing, and I enjoyed getting to share what Team PIPER has accomplished. I am proud of how far we have come and excited to see how far we will go. 

Team pictures after our midsummer presentation!

Outside of work, the wonderful TAs created a campus-wide scavenger hunt for us! On Thursday, we had a yummy meal of Torchy’s Tacos, and then the hunt was on! It was a blast, despite the scorching Texas sun! My team ran over two miles around campus, searching for clues. I’ve realized I’m very competitive, as I was in it to win it. In the end, we tied for first place! Everyone was rewarded with Tiff’s Treats, and I loved my snickerdoodle cookie. 

Scavenger Hunt Team 4 Pictures with Shivani and Kaitlyn!

Since we are at the halfway mark, I wanted to offer a bit of self-reflection. This internship has taught me that I am very much an external processor. I think out loud, especially when it comes to design. This can be both a blessing and a curse- a blessing because it allows my team to build off my ideas and a curse because a lot of my ideas are half-baked, which can lead to some confusion. Additionally, I have found myself getting attached to certain ideas. For example, I favored the swivel base over the other two options, and I would’ve been sad if our client chose otherwise. This realization will help me be more self-aware and open-minded in the future. Thus far, this internship has taught me so much about myself, and I can’t wait to see what the next three weeks have in store!

 

See y’all soon,

Shannon

 

P.S.- If you made it this far, I applaud you! These posts keep getting longer and longer, but I have so much to share about my amazing experience!