Development of Ergonomically Designed Functional Bra for Women with Hemiplegia

Hemiplegia is the lifelong paralysis, caused by brain stroke that affects one side of the body. Stroke exerts a great threat to patient’s health and lives, and hemiplegia after stroke may severely affect their activities of daily life including self-dressing that causes fatigue and frustration and ultimately ended with “dependence on others.” This situation damages the sense of dignity, especially for women, while independently dressing intimate apparel like bra. The research through the design approach is used as the conceptual framework to design and evaluate bra for the women with hemiplegia. Three design criteria were identified from which specifications were developed, and their interrelationships explored through an interaction matrix. This article presents a research work on improving bra design, adjusted to the special needs and demands of an individual with hemiplegia, by using bi-layer knitted fabric, magnetic fasteners, and shape-memory alloys. The findings of the current study showed that adaptive bra design offers independence, concealment of the disability, and comfort and psychological contentment. This adaptive bra promotes the harmony between functionality and esthetics.

Facile fabrication of functional bra cup by an automated dispensing system

The goal of the study is to develop a novel method to manufacture the functional bras. The high precision three-dimensional (3D) scanner was employed to get the point cloud data. A fixed mount was invented to keep the bra cup stable and decrease measuring error. A bottom holder was prepared by the 3D printer to place the bra cup during the injection process. Furthermore, the injection points coordinate values and the injection volumes can be determined based on the 3D image of the bra cup and the thickness of those positions. At last, the three-axis automatic robot which was coupled with a precision liquid dispenser is used to inject the microcapsules solution into the bra cup for the preparation of functional intimate apparel. The proposed method was verified to be feasible and effective through a practical example.