Currently when autopsies are performed identifying marks are measured manually by a pathologist with a ruler. Measurements are tracked on paper along with a mark on a picture of a body to indicate where the measurement was taken. These measurements and notes are then transferred to computer either by hand or by scanning.
To improve this measurement process I created a physical augmentation of a smart phone case and software to assist the pathologist in their autopsy.
To start I created a foam "sketch", a low fidelity prototype that let me test out moving parts, physical location of parts, feeling in the hand and walk through some potential screens. The physical additions include calipers with a ruler and a knob which can rotate.
A foam model showing a set of calipers attached to a smart phone. Screen sketches can be placed inside the foam model to walk through different interactions.
The caliper can be moved left and right to show measurements.
A simple knob can be rotated to get the feeling of rotating a knob when it is attached to the phone.
I created a first working prototype by using craft foam and phidgets. In this prototype a servo is used to control the caliper movement, a phidget knob is attached to the base of the foam and an RFID sensor is placed on the back of the pone.
This prototype turned out to be bulky because of the foam being used. The foam could not be shaped to be too thin because it may break while being handled. This prototype is mostly functional as can be seen in this video.
With the help of 3D modelling software (OpenSCAD) I created models of parts which could be 3D printed and then attached to the phone's case. This included a 3D printed phone case, a rack and pinion gear system, a track for the rack, and a mount for the knob. By 3D printing with hard plastics I was able to vastly reduce the size of the attached parts. In addition because I also 3D printed a phone case I was able to attach the physical augmentations directly to the phone case and keep it removable.
Here is a short demonstration video performed by a pathologist in training.
Get it!
* Source from https://github.com/tthmok/ToolPath
* Download whole zip from https://github.com/tthmok/ToolPath/archive/master.zip