Daily Record

Inspiring Eilidh has designs for life

After spending her childhood wearing a back brace, Eilidh Earle-Mitchell is using her expertise to help design and create eye-catching prosthetic limbs

- ANNIE BROWN a.brown@dailyrecor­d.co.uk

A SPINAL condition saw Eilidh Earle-Mitchell spend weeks in orthopaedi­c wards around children with prosthetic­s.

Inspired by those memories, the product designer is now using her skills to improve morale for those wearing artificial limbs.

The 21-year-old has spent the last year designing original, fashionabl­e prosthetic casings that are both beautiful and fun.

Eilidh said: “We accessoris­e our bodies with jewellery, hats and scarves. We have different shoes to go with different outfits. So why can’t prosthetic­s be accessoris­ed?”

Her inspiring achievemen­ts have already won her a spot on the prestigiou­s list of 30 inspiring females under 30, compiled by The Young Women’s Movement.

Last year, she graduated from Robert Gordon University’s Gray’s School of Art with a degree focusing on three-dimensiona­l design.

As a child, Eilidh, from Fortrose on the Black Isle, was diagnosed with scoliosis, a deformity of the spine which meant she had to wear a back brace between the ages of seven and 11.

It was designed to help straighten her spine and she hated it.

Although she wasn’t bullied, Eilidh still felt she stood out and her clothes were tailored to accommodat­e the brace, which was shaped like a plastic corset.

She said: “I remember wearing this piece of plastic and feeling like an outsider, even though my brace was hidden by clothes.”

She wasn’t able to join in for PE or sit on the floor with the other children at assembly, because the brace would cut in to her back.

She said: “It was really uncomforta­ble, hot and sweaty. I used to feel very self-conscious about it.”

But she is also grateful that her condition made her appreciate life and have empathy with those who have suffered more.

When she first started studying design, she initially concentrat­ed in traditiona­l areas such as ceramics but found it unfulfilli­ng.

Eilidh said: ”If I had been smart enough, I would love to have been a doctor or a nurse, or work in a hospital but it wasn’t for me. What I have is a creative mind I can use to help people.”

A meeting with a prosthetic­s engineer on holiday in Canada led to a five-month work placement with the Victoria Hand Project, a charity who make artificial limbs. The project produce lowcost, 3D-printed, upper limb prostheses for those in third world countries who can’t afford them. The designers were engineers who concentrat­ed on functional­ity and ergonomics, whereas the artist in Eilidh was inspired to make prosthetic­s look and feel better. When she came home, she spent some time in Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen with NHS prosthetic engineers who were also frustrated that the artificial limbs the NHS can afford were not visually appealing.

Eilidh said: “You are losing a part of you and replacing it with an inanimate object, and although to an extent it does work like a limb, it doesn’t look real and feel real.”

She is juggling her project with being the studio manager of MAKE, an open space where designers can access machines such as 3D printers.

Her creations were initially focused on children, with fun designs such as cartoons.

But the more she worked with the casings, she realised they could be adapted for any age and gender.

Some are fabric, like lace, which could be used for weddings and there are statement designs using bold fabrics which could be unisex. Using sprung steel, they can be snapped on easily to a prosthetic.

Her research led her to also focus on how realistic prosthetic­s feel and she worked to design a casing which would feel like skin.

We all have a tendency to touch our skin, stroking or holding our arms as we sit at our desks. Eilidh wanted to recreate that for prosthetic wearers.

She spent weeks researchin­g and testing silicones which could mimic the feel of skin.

Eilidh now wants a medical expert to help her establish if skin-like casings could also help tackle phantom limb pain.

Pain is common in the area in which a limb has been removed

I’ve overcome hurdles before and I can again. There are people worse off and I can help them

because the nerve endings at the amputation send messages to the brain and trick it into believing that the lost limb is still there.

Mirror therapy, using the reflection of a healthy leg or arm, has been found to ease pain by duping the brain into believing the amputated limb remains.

Eilidh now wants to research whether having a lifelike feel to an artificial limb could create the same psychologi­cal effect.

She is currently designing a website where people will be able to buy affordable templates of castings which can be customised to their own personal style.

But she needs investment and is hoping to get the help of a cash boost, medical and business expertise. Her fashion designer friends are helping her come up with glamorous designs and she would like to make casings using fabric manufactur­ers like Cath Kidston.

Eilidh underwent a major operation when she was 11 to have her spine fused with metal hooks and pins but although it has improved, it is not completely aligned.

She was also recently diagnosed with inflammato­ry arthritis, which causes her joints to swell and can leave her fatigued and immobile.

Her latest diagnosis was a blow but she is irrepressi­bly positive. She said: “I have overcome hurdles before and I can again. There are people who are worse off and I want to help them.”

 ??  ?? VISION Product designer Eilidh Earle-Mitchell, who has made covers for prosthetic limbs. Pic: Derek Ironside/ Newsline Media
VISION Product designer Eilidh Earle-Mitchell, who has made covers for prosthetic limbs. Pic: Derek Ironside/ Newsline Media
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 ??  ?? NO LIMITS Eilidh, left, at the top of a Munro aged 11. Right, her back brace
NO LIMITS Eilidh, left, at the top of a Munro aged 11. Right, her back brace
 ??  ?? LIFE LINE Eilidh’s accessory idea has taken off
LIFE LINE Eilidh’s accessory idea has taken off
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