Smart Adaptive Socket to Improve Fit and Relieve Pain in Wounded Warriors
Abstract
Focus Area: The application of novel and/or innovative technologies and materials in prosthetic and orthotic device development toward the improvement or enhancement of long-term socket performance, to include afferent and efferent user interface; the fit of prosthetics, including the design and development of flexible socket suspension systems and incorporated interoperability of components to improve stability and usability; and socket performance (comfort, fit, moisture management, residual limb skin integrity, and durability). The goal of this project is to help young active people who have lost lower limbs during military service by creating a socket that will automatically shrink and expand to be comfortable and always fit snugly. Despite all the media hype about the latest computer controlled prosthetic knee or high-tech ankle, people who have lost a limb are most concerned with how comfortable their socket feels. Without a comfortable and high performance socket, the high levels of activity and advanced technology available in prosthetic components are of little use to Wounded Warriors. According to a report prepared for Congress, there are about 1,500 people who have lost lower limbs in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and New Dawn. We will concentrate on serving these individuals. These individuals will need 70 years of prosthetic care, and they have a lifetime of potential health risks that could be avoided if they are active and maintain their fitness level. Older Vietnam-era Veterans have increased obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and brittle bones because they are not very active. We want change socket fit so individuals with limb loss to avoid these problems in the future. A prosthetic socket serves as the physical connection between the user s body and the prosthesis. The functionality and comfort of the prosthesis is to a great degree determined by how closely the socket fits the limb. The limb can shrink when walking and standing and swell when sitting. The idea behind this proposal is to use thin, sealed foam pads inside the liner that can be altered by removing the air inside. Using a small computer to evaluate the pressure at three important areas on the limb that usually change size, the space available and the pressure on the limb can be balanced at all times. We have already designed and commercialized a small silent pump and a small load sensor that will provide information to the computer about the fit and performance of the socket. We have already had a successful version of this socket on prosthetic users, but we had to cut a hole in the socket to try all the possible size, thickness, and pressure levels that might work best. Now, we plan to build a viable manufacturable version that will fit fully inside the outer socket shell, but slightly larger than their current socket shell. We have successfully linked computers in prosthetic components to Apps that run on smartphones or smartwatches using low energy Bluetooth. The user will be able to control some aspects of the socket fit and, if they choose, relay the information to their prosthetist to evaluate their socket fit. The sensors tell the computer what activities are being performed. We can correctly identify each step with better than 99% accuracy and can identify up and down slopes, stairs, uneven terrain, standing, shifting, adjusting, and sitting. We can make the socket fit perfectly while someone fixes dinner, runs after their toddler, and then sits down to dinner, making trade-off between comfort and performance by changing the pressure in the small foam pads. During relaxation, the silent pump could be programmed to pulse slightly to improve blood flow to the limb inside the socket. But even technology fails sometimes. The thing that sets this idea apart from other sockets is that if the power fails, the socket will fit as well as any current socket design. The sealed foam pads w
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 04, 2016
- Source ID
- W81XWH1510712
Entities
People
- David A Boone
Organizations
- Orthocare Innovations (United States)
- United States Army