MC10 Inc.
Lexington, MA ⚬ Jan 2015 - July 2015
Mechanical Engineer
Lexington, MA ⚬ Jan 2015 - July 2015
Mechanical Engineer
During my time with MC10 I also led a team to improve the issue of skin irritability arising in the company's testing of patch wearability on skin for repeated daily use on the same area. This issue of skin irritability was occurring with roughly 1 out of every 7-8 people. It was determined that patch breathability was a main factor and I led a team to conduct a breathability test and patch redesign. Utilizing Minitab software for statistical design of experiments and Pareto charts, a half factorial test was setup comparing the breathability improvements of different patch design aspects such as channels, microfiber, adhesive surfacing, number of pores, etc. After finding ideal combinations, certain aspects that proved successful were kept for further analysis and optimization in later rounds of breathability testing per the ASTM E96 standard experimental setup.
Moisture vapor transmission rates (MVTR), which were used to assess breathability, saw improvements of over 1000% from about 20g/m²/hr to over 200g/m²/hr. After implementing changes and running a larger company test of patch wearability on skin for repeated daily use in the same area, we saw an improvement and near elimination of the irritability issue. Irritation went from 1 out of every 7-8 people to roughly 1 out of every 60 people.
Breath-ability Testing Equipment
Sample of Pareto Statistical Analysis DOE
During my time with MC10, I was also tasked with the redesign and concept development for our wearable patches as well as the corresponding charger/applicator device. All the designs were made with intent for ergonomics, functionality, manufacturing, use-process, and aesthetics. For this work, I honed in on iterating brainstormed ideas/concepts from the mind to the paper/white board, from the paper/white board to the computer/CAD software, from the computer/CAD software to a physical model, and then cycling back through for improvements until a higher level of fidelity was reached that agreed with the customer feedback. This process offered room for innovation and creativity in each revision of conveying the idea from brain to paper to computer to physical product. Some photos of different simplified models are included below. There are several more not included for proprietary purposes.
One-a-Day Medical Patch Samples
Sample LED
Sample Applicator & Charging Pebble
Sample Bend-Limiting Spine Concept
Sketch of Bend-Limiting Spine Concept