• Males are at a significantly higher risk for trauma-related upper-limb amputation
• 77% of upper-limb amputations are trauma related incidences, 14% is from congenital and other diseases
• Best practices is to use any remaining functioning body parts
•185,000+ amputations occur each year in the U.S.
• African-Americans are 4x more likely to have an amputation than white Americans
• More than half of amputations are from vascular diseases (54%) and trauma-related instances (45%)
Sources:
https://www.amputee-coalition.org/resources/limb-loss-statistics/
https://www.ishn.com/articles/97844-statistics-on-hand-and-arm-loss https://advancedamputees.com/amputee-statistics-you-ought-know
https://amputeestore.com/collections/arm-amputee-supplies?page=2
Grant:
When attempting to do one handed activities, if I struggled to find a good solution I would look up videos of individuals who had that disability. For example I looked at a video on how to zip up a coat using only one hand (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08ITx794R0I) which was very helpful, knowing that some people only use what they have available, especially their creativity. For ones who are fortunate enough to be able to purchase items to assist their one-handed lifestyle there are many companies that specialize in selling products that help day to day activities for one-handed folks. For instance this website (https://www.healthproductsforyou.com/c-one-handed-products.html?pagenumber=3) sells a tool to help one-handed individuals put on small buttons and zippers. Upon doing research I realized why some people get by without buying these items because of the cost or other physical impairments. One great example is this prothetic bowling attachment that costs over $700(https://amputeestore.com/collections/arm-amputee-supplies?page=2)
Ian:
My research focused mostly on one-handed shoe tying. Before doing any research I tried it out for myself with limited success, but I definitely improved over time. Most of the techniques I found during my research were similar to the things I figured out on my own, like this video:
I also found a technique that involves relacing shoelaces in a zigzag pattern and using a slipknot, which is much easier since it only requires you to manage one lace at a time:
(image from https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/onehandedknot.htm)
Sophie:
I spent most of my time researching existing products or methods to help perform the following tasks with one hand: painting nails, putting in contacts, and putting hair into a ponytail. I had no luck in finding products to assist in these areas but did find a few videos of people with one hand or arm showing how they perform these tasks.
This video shows how a girl uses what is left of her arm to paint her hand. Although this video was informative, our goal is to create a product that could accommodate to those who don’t have any of their arm remaining.
This video shows a few different methods that a woman who is missing her whole arm uses to put up her hair. I did not try any of these exact methods, but her utilization of a wall led me to try putting my hair in a ponytail with the help of a doorknob.
This research proved that although people with one hand can manage to perform their daily tasks, it is not always the most practical or efficient. It is clear that the market for products to assist those without hands/arms is relatively “untapped” and innovation in this area could improve the lives of the thousands of people in this situation.
Taylor:
My research mainly focused on products and methods one-handed individuals used to complete the tasks of doing their makeup and putting their hair up into a bun. I had no luck in finding any products currently on the market that helped in the task of doing your makeup. I at first thought that I would be able to find products that held the products to be opened easier or opened the products themselves, however, I did not find any products that completed these tasks. During my research on doing hair, I came across a couple of different and helpful products. One product that I came across was a stand that you were able to put your hair dryer in and adjust it to allow you to blow dry your hair without the need to hold it in your hand, allowing you to style it as you wish. Another product I came across were hair elastics that were specifically created for one-handed individuals that use a bead to make it easier to tighten the elastic around your hair. A video and website that goes more in depth about how to use it and about the product itself is linked here: http://www.one-handedponytail.com/media.html
Hair Dryer Stand
One-Handed Ponytail Elastics