Happy Paws

Bruno Oro designs comforting toys as tools for children with disabilities

Written by Lindsey Giardino

Imagine you’re a child living with cerebral palsy. You may have difficulty walking and need to use orthotics, which requires frequent doctor visits to get fitted and learn how to use the devices. These appointments can be uncomfortable and overwhelming, especially for younger children.
To help kids feel more at ease throughout the process, Bruno Oro launched “Happy Paws,” through which he provides them with a teddy bear and creates identical orthotics for it.

Studies have shown that children build strong bonds with inanimate objects like blankets and stuffed animals. So, Oro — an Iowa State University industrial design assistant professor — partnered with Limb Lab, a prosthetic and orthotic company, and ChildServe, which helps kids with special healthcare needs, to connect with families whose children could benefit from his innovative project.

Through this partnership, Oro can meet a child at their appointment and introduce them to their teddy bear. That bear then gets fitted for
an orthotic right alongside the child. This not only helps the child better understand the process, but also works as a distraction while
the clinician is measuring and making casts of their legs.

Afterward, Oro replicates the same orthotic for the bear, using 3D modeling and printing, hydro dipping to apply the graphics and sewing the straps on in the industrial design department’s soft goods lab. He even designs matching shoes for the bear.

Oro has observed that because the child can relate to the teddy bear using orthotics, they are more willing to try out their own.

“I’ve found that’s what this research is about — it gives tools to parents, and it gives tools to the healthcare team,” Oro said.

Easing the uncertainty

Oro also noticed that children and their parents arrive at the clinic uncertain what to expect. So, he’s invited College of Design students to work with him on picture books that detail the experiences of kids with a variety of physical challenges, with a goal to help them quickly feel comfortable with their assistive products.

To bring the picture books to life, Oro shared his research insights with the student team, providing them with a comprehensive overview of disabilities and the goals of Happy Paws. Then, students studied characters in children’s books and animated movies and began sketching characters of their own.

The first book in the series, “Maple’s Clinic Visit,” was written by Oro and illustrated by industrial design sophomores Brooke Wreay and Kaitlyn Gehrels and senior Tyler Young, who graduated with his bachelor of industrial design in May.

“The most meaningful thing for me is the idea that this project could help a kid,” said Wreay, who hopes to someday work in the children’s toy design industry. “This experience helps me understand how children, especially children with disabilities, interact with specific products.”

Other students helped with 3D modeling, prototyping and printing of the teddy bear orthotics and shoes.

Oro appreciates the students’ engagement with the project and the opportunity to help them learn more about designing for children living with disabilities.

“This is a generation that’s being trained to look at things differently,” he said. “The number of students who are getting into this topic is increasing. It’s what we need to do as industrial designers. We produce objects for everyone to use.”

Engaging all abilities

Moving forward, Oro hopes the project will become self-sustaining, with others trained on how to use the teddy bears as a tool in children’s physical rehabilitation. He’s also excited to collaborate with Hape Toys, a globally renowned manufacturer of wooden toys, this fall and create more toys for disabled children using universal design principles, which ChildServe will then test out.

“Dr. Oro’s research projects and goals align well with the mission and values of ChildServe,” said Carrie Van Quathem, the organization’s director of pediatric rehabilitation.

“His research questions were unique in that they focused on improving the experience of children and families when they have to participate in medical interventions that can be very challenging. His projects also get at the heart, or spirit, of a child utilizing play to engage children no matter their abilities,” Van Quathem said.

“I think that’s what this profession should be about,” Oro said. “It should help people. It should not exclude people.”