matthew geary
battery powered surgical handpiece development
background
The majority of orthopedic tools are pneumatic or electric powered. While this provides reliable power, it also creates issues with cord management, especially as the cords are dragged in and around the sterile field.
challenge
methods
heuristic review
ethnography
contextual inquiry
in depth interviews
role
researcher on team of two at InsightPD
Our client is looking to design a battery powered surgical hand piece that provides improved maneuverability while also maintaining the familiarity, power, and reliability of the corded tools.
process
Expert Heuristic Review
Though no battery powered handpieces had penetrated the orthopedic market, many tools with similar function existed in other industries, namely construction. To understand the scope of change and the current state of technology, I conducted an expert review of the client’s existing corded hand piece, their first attempt at a battery powered hand piece, a corded micro sander, and a cordless Dremel tool.
Ethnography
To fully understand the surgical expectations of these handpieces, our research team observed several small bone orthopedic procedures at multiple sites around the United States, focusing on surgeons of different specialty and experience. We noted the various postures used in each surgery, the variations in setup around the operating room, and how other larger battery powered tools were maintained and autoclaved. Throughout the procedure, surgeons were asked to narrate their actions during the procedure.
Prototype Development
Working with Insight’s design and engineering team and the hardware constraints (battery size, battery shape, motor dimensions, etc), we used the feedback from the Contextual Inquiry to create several weighted models to collect feedback.
Usability Testing and In-Depth Interviews
Armed with the weighted models, we met with several surgeons (including several who participated in the ethnographic portion of the research) get feedback and narrow the design direction. Using a hospital bed and fake bones, we mocked up a surgical suite and had each surgeon experiment with each of the handpieces.
results
This iterative research effort generated a very clear design direction for the battery powered hand piece. Unfortunately, technical constraints in battery manufacturing capabilities led the project to be cancelled before the design could be realized.