The aesthetics of prosthetic design : from theory to practice

Aesthetics of prosthetic devices is an emerging academic field, concerned with the visual attraction of a particularly intimate category of medical device. Our belief is that prosthetic users can gain psychological well-being when wearing prostheses perceived as aesthetically pleasing. This research focusses on exploring the concept of “concinnity” for below-knee prostheses, and develops current aesthetic theory in this area by considering elements and principles of visual design. The applicability of these to practice has been illustrated through two case studies of conceptual designs.