Instrumenting Prostheses to Measure Usage in Children with Reduced Limbs
Advisor Information
Brian Knarr
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
26-3-2021 12:00 AM
End Date
26-3-2021 12:00 AM
Abstract
Children with congenital and acquired upper limb reductions who are presented with a body-powered prosthesis often reject the device. 3D-printed prostheses not only offer a low-cost option, but also a very customizable one. However, knowledge about the children’s true usage of the device or any reason why they may reject it is largely limited to qualitative measures like estimating the duration of use and self (or parent)-reported types of use (school, sports, and activities of daily living). Instrumenting these 3d-printed prostheses with embedded sensors could supplement this reported information with quantitative data about the duration and intensity that the child uses the device. This study aims to develop this instrumentation and collect prosthetic usage data on children with upper limb reductions. The instrumentation will be embedded into the prosthesis using a microcontroller to collect data through various sensors. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) will record accelerations of the prosthetic in each direction, a thermistor will measure temperature to determine, along with the IMU, whether the device is being worn, and a potentiometer will be used to derive wrist flexion measures and reflect whether the child is using the prosthetic according to its intended functionality. Data collected through this device will assist in understanding why this population may reject prostheses, customize better prostheses designs, and design future studies to better understand the neurological reasons why rejection may occur, such as a possible lack of representation of that reduced limb in the brain.
Scheduling Link
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Instrumenting Prostheses to Measure Usage in Children with Reduced Limbs
Children with congenital and acquired upper limb reductions who are presented with a body-powered prosthesis often reject the device. 3D-printed prostheses not only offer a low-cost option, but also a very customizable one. However, knowledge about the children’s true usage of the device or any reason why they may reject it is largely limited to qualitative measures like estimating the duration of use and self (or parent)-reported types of use (school, sports, and activities of daily living). Instrumenting these 3d-printed prostheses with embedded sensors could supplement this reported information with quantitative data about the duration and intensity that the child uses the device. This study aims to develop this instrumentation and collect prosthetic usage data on children with upper limb reductions. The instrumentation will be embedded into the prosthesis using a microcontroller to collect data through various sensors. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) will record accelerations of the prosthetic in each direction, a thermistor will measure temperature to determine, along with the IMU, whether the device is being worn, and a potentiometer will be used to derive wrist flexion measures and reflect whether the child is using the prosthetic according to its intended functionality. Data collected through this device will assist in understanding why this population may reject prostheses, customize better prostheses designs, and design future studies to better understand the neurological reasons why rejection may occur, such as a possible lack of representation of that reduced limb in the brain.