Vacuum-assisted delivery is a medical procedure in which a vacuum device is used to guide the baby through the birth canal, when problems arise during the delivery. This device makes use of a hard plastic suction cup that is attached to the baby’s head. Excessive suction forces cause a cone-shaped swelling on the baby’s head, which increases the risk of bruising, bleeding in the skull and skull fracture.

In this graduation project, you will explore a 3D printed variable stiffness suction cup that can adapt to the shape of the baby’s head. You will be taking inspiration from animals with suction cups, such as the octopus, as those can perfectly adapt their discs to the objects they grasp. We want to use the form complexity of 3D printing to create the suction cup. This is an exploratory assignment, so we are looking for a creative student with an investigative, curious mind and experience with Solidworks.

Interested? Contact Vera Kortman (v.g.kortman@tudelft.nl) or Kirsten Lussenburg (k.m.lussenburg@tudelft.nl).

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[image courtesy of EOS]