Monitoring Socket Prosthesis Interfaces using Distributed Pressure Fabric Sensors
Abstract
Monitoring Socket Prosthesis Interfaces using Distributed Pressure Fabric SensorsHundreds of thousands of people, including milita""ry personnel, undergo limb amputations each year, which are caused primarily by either traumatic injury or peripheral vascular disea"se. Amputees can be fitted with socket prostheses to help them regain functionality and resume physical activity. Despite the socket" being customized, lower-limb amputees still suffer fromcomplications and discomfort while often developing painful, difficult and"" expensive to treat, and sometimes life-threatening pressure ulcers that can potentially lead to re-amputation, among other serious"" complications. Therefore, the long-term vision is to monitor, understand, and prevent, in real-time, conditions that could cause pr""essure ulcers at the interface between the residual limb and socket prosthesis. As a step towards this goal, the objective of this o"ne-year ONR project is tomonitor pressure distributions using fabric sensors lined along the interior surface of socket prostheses. The system utilizes strain-sensitive nanocomposites coupled with an electrical impedance tomography (EIT) conductivity distribution" reconstruction technique. Piezoresistive nanocomposite sensors, unlike conventional transducers, are unique in that every location" of the material is sensitive to strain (or pressure). One can then use EIT to map the 2D spatial conductivity (or resistivity) of t"he film (which is pre-calibrated to pressure) to achieve distributed pressuremonitoring. In particular, three research tasks will b""e conducted, and the scope includes: (1) designing and fabricating graphene nanosheet-based thin film strain sensors; (2) implementi"ng a compressed sensing-based EIT algorithm; and (3) validating the system through a set of controlled laboratory tests. The project will culminate with laboratory validation tests of the distributed pressure sensor prototypes using advanced socket prostheses developed by LIM Innovations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 07, 2017
- Source ID
- N000141712668
Entities
People
- Kenneth J. Loh
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of California, San Diego