Purpose Laparoscopic surgeons suffer because of discomfited body posture while performing surgery and experience discomfort owing to lack of customized surgical instruments. Accordingly, this paper aims to recommend an individual customization strategy by developing an ergonomically designed laparoscopic forceps handle and thereby increase the comfort of surgeons. Design/methodology/approach Hand anthropometric parameters of 282 south Indian male subjects are used to customize the handle. uPrint and Objet260 Connex, which works based on fused deposition modeling and PolyJet, respectively, are used to fabricate the prototype of the handle. Design modifications include a pistol-type grip, the increased contact area between the hand and handle, and neutral wrist posture. Findings Ergonomic evaluation parameters such as grip, functionality, comfort and wrist posture using subjective ratings from laparoscopic surgeons were recorded and obtained average values of 4.1, 3.6, 4.1 and 4.1, respectively, based on a five-point ordinal scale. Additionally, stress analysis also confirms the safety of the handle based on von Mises stress criteria. Research limitations/implications Anthropometric data are limited to 282 subjects and subjective evaluation is conducted using a prototype, not the end-use product. Originality/value Evaluation using subjective rating confirms the ascendancy of a modified handle over the existing handle in terms of assessed parameters. The proposed individual customization strategy can be applied for other industrial hand tools to enhance comfort.

Purpose This paper aims to develop a customized orthosis for treating congenital talipes equinovarus (clubfoot) deformity. Complications from non-surgical treatment method such as Ponseti method leads to relapse/recurrence of the foot after treated. Design/methodology/approach An alternate approach for treating clubfoot deformity can be seen as a viable approach to overcome the above-mentioned difficulties. Customized orthosis is designed and developed for a subject affected with right clubfoot deformity through fused deposition modeling of additive manufacturing (AM) technology with ABS plastic as base material. A unique mechanism is used to develop customized orthosis for achieving rotation of the foot along the three axis and range of motions. Findings Developed orthosis is incorporated with a unique mechanism that can be rotated and arrested at the specified angle along the three principle ranges of motion of the foot. Overall weight of the developed customized orthosis achieved is about 284 g, which has a significant 25 per cent reduction in weight when compared to traditional Ponseti casting method. Overcoming the difficulties faced in Ponseti method, customized orthosis can be an alternative method for treating clubfoot. Originality/value Developed orthosis will be an alternative approach for treating clubfoot deformity, and it overcomes the drawbacks faced by Ponseti method.

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Additive manufacturing transformed the prospect of product development. Customized and individualized product development never be so effortless.In this context, aim here is to develop a preliminary prototype of customized handle for winding machine using in handloom industry. Design of the handle is completed according to the hand anthropometric data of workers. CATIA V5R20 is used for 3D modeling and Analysis. Polylactic Acid (PLA) used as material and FlashForge Dreamer Additive Manufacturing (AM) machine, which works based Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is employed for prototyping. Analysis confirms that the design using PLA material is safe as maximum von Moses stress obtained (6.57 x 10 4 N/m 2 ) is less than the yield strength of PLA material (4.9 x 10 7 N/m 2 ).

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