Alleviate
Promoting Autonomy in Arthritis Care
Alleviate is a smart-wearable top designed in response to the shift in thinking about managing your long-term arthritis. Alleviate offers an alternative approach to pain treatment, moving away from medications, providing on-the-go, adjustable comfort for individuals with arthritis.
Integrated heating and compression technology targets the wearer’s upper body joints, offering a soothing relief from arthritis-related pain and stiffness.
The garment has a contemporary and sporty design that suits user preferences and challenges the highly stigmatising aesthetics of current medical devices.
Who can Alleviate help?
Arthritis can affect people of all ages, including children and teenagers, although some forms are more common in older individuals. My research has helped me identify potential users of Alleviate. I interviewed individuals with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and consulted physiotherapists to understand my target users and potential users. Applying heat and compression to affected joints is recommended for people with osteoarthritis, JIA, and rheumatoid arthritis to help ease pain.
Wider user group potential
* I designed Alleviate alongside my target user, people with arthritis. However, after conducting more interviews with people, including industry professionals, I realised that another potential user of Alleviate could be someone with a joint injury. Compression is recommended to treat strains and sprains. After 48-72 hours, heat can be used to increase blood flow to the injury and aid recovery. (NHS, 2024)
Alleviate could be useful for sportspeople, but I would like to do more specific research about this potential user group.
-
Using an inclusive design approach, I used various research methods, such as interviewing, to gain insights about older adults with Osteoarthritis.
-
I made a series of prototypes, learning from each, before making my final model.
-
Fusion 360
CLO3D
-
C++
-
I learnt to use a 7-gauge domestic knitting machine for this project.
-
Sewing machine