AWARD YEAR
2021
CATEGORY
Body
GOALS
Good Health & Well-being
KEYWORDS
Inclusive design, product design, tennis, user experience, social impact
COUNTRY
United Kingdom
DESIGNED BY
Nacho Vilanova
WEBSITE
https://2020.rca.ac.uk/students/ignacio-vilanova
Volta Tennis Prosthetic
Volta is a tennis prosthetic designed for transradial amputees who lost their limb due to trauma.
Although tennis is one of the most inclusive sports for disabilities, players seem nevertheless to be more limited by the tools they use rather than their physical limitations. Current prosthetics for arm amputees tend to have two recurring issues: a fixed grip and a wrong directional angle to support the racket. Not being able to rotate the grip and hitting the ball at the correct angle favours injury development and consequently reduces comfort, control and power over the ball, as well as rendering the entire experience unpleasant. Hence, players struggle to compensate for the lack of freedom of racket movement with current designs.
Physically impaired players seems to be more limited by the tools they use rather than their physical limitations. Thanks to its rotating grip mechanism, Volta offers more control, power and comfort, while empowering amputees to play tennis to a more advanced gameplay than what is currently played.