A Soft Robotic Sleeve for Compression Therapy of the Lower Limb.

'We present the development of a soft robotic-inspired device for lower limb compression therapy with application in the treatment of lymphedema. This device integrates the control capabilities of pneumatic devices with the wearability and low cost of compression garments. The design consists of a three-layered soft robotic sleeve that ensures safe skin contact, controls compression, and secures the device to the patient limb. The expandable component is made of interconnected pockets of various heights, which passively create a graduated compression profile along the lower limb. The system is inflated by a pump and a microcontroller-actuated valve, with force sensors embedded in the sleeve that monitor the pressure applied to the limb. Testing on healthy individualsq demonstrated the ability to reach clinically relevant target pressures (30, 40, 50 mmHg) and establish a distal-to-proximal descending pressure gradient of approximately 40 mmHg. Device function was shown to be robust against variations in subject anatomy.Clinical Relevance- This system provides controllable, graduated, compression therapy to lymphedema patients in an economical, portable, and customizable package.

Noninvasive Method and Metric for Monitoring Lung Condition.

For hospitalized patients with pulmonary conditions, the onset of respiratory decline can occur unnoticed, due to the absence of a way to continuously and noninvasively monitor lung condition. Based on the relationship between lung volume and pleural pressure, we hypothesized that the time delay (∆t) between the start of a respiratory cycle and the occurrence of lung sounds associated with inspiration would correlate with lung volume. Additionally, we developed a re-search tool, consisting of a respiration belt, digital stethoscope, data collection system and MATLAB algorithm, to measure this delay. We conducted a feasibility study with three healthy individuals that involved safely manipulating lung volume, through subject position and activity, and plotting ∆t against volume measurements obtained via spirometry. The results indicated that ∆t was measurable and changed with lung volume and, therefore, has the potential to serve as a lung condition monitoring tool.

Center of Gravity Tracker for Operator Fatigue Detection.

Driver fatigue is a cause of serious accidents for heavy machinery operators. Monitoring operator position, as indicated by their Center of Gravity (CoG), may be a means to non-invasively detect driver fatigue. We prototyped a research tool that tracks CoG from four sensors located within the legs of a seat, and validated its accuracy and precision. Our primary contributions are the development of a low-cost integrated CoG detector for seated drivers and the design of a flexure structure to protect load cells from shocks, tensile and shear forces. This system will enable research into CoG as an indicator of fatigue.

Design of a Precision Medication Dispenser: Preventing Overdose by Increasing Accuracy and Precision of Dosage.

Liquid medication overdose in pediatric patients results in over 70000 visits to the emergency room yearly in the USA. Various studies have demonstrated that the root cause of this high incidence is due to user and device error in dose measurement. The standard measuring cup and syringe suffer from the challenge of accurately measuring and dispensing viscous liquids, which comprise the majority of children's medication formulations. Here, we describe the development of a precision medication dispenser that overcomes challenges associated with viscous fluid flow at low volumes and flow rates, while incorporating various ergonomic and user-friendly features. The device performs with >95% accuracy and 94% precision across the 1-5-mL range of volume, a significant improvement when compared to current commercially available dispensers.

Music and the brain - design of an MEG compatible piano.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) neuroimaging has been used to study subjects' responses when listening to music, but research into the effects of playing music has been limited by the lack of MEG compatible instruments that can operate in a magnetically shielded environment without creating electromagnetic interference. This paper describes the design and preliminary testing of an MEG compatible piano keyboard with 25 full size keys that employs a novel 3-state optical encoder design and electronics to provide realistic velocity-controlled volume modulation. This instrument will allow researchers to study musical performance on a finer timescale than fMRI and enable a range of MEG studies.

Digital Magnifying Glasses for Low-Vision Learners: Bringing Assistive Technologies to the Developing World.

A student squinting to see the board or holding a textbook inches from his or her nose often provides the first indication of a visual impairment. For most, the cause is a refractive error, readily correctible with eyeglasses. However, for an estimated 40-65 million people globally with functional low vision, the fuzzy words pose a lifelong challenge.

Wearable optical-digital assistive device for low vision students.

People with low vision have limited residual vision that can be greatly enhanced through high levels of magnification. Current assistive technologies are tailored for far field or near field magnification but not both. In collaboration with L.V. Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), a wearable, optical-digital assistive device was developed to meet the near and far field magnification needs of students. The critical requirements, system architecture and design decisions for each module were analyzed and quantified. A proof-of-concept prototype was fabricated that can achieve magnification up to 8x and a battery life of up to 8 hours. Potential user evaluation with a Snellen chart showed identification of characters not previously discernible. Further feedback suggested that the system could be used as a general accessibility aid.

An overview of systems for CT- and MRI-guided percutaneous needle placement in the thorax and abdomen.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive biopsies, drainages and therapies in the soft tissue organs of the thorax and abdomen are typically performed through a needle, which is inserted percutaneously to reach the target area. The conventional workflow for needle placement employs an iterative freehand technique. This article provides an overview of needle-placement systems developed to improve this method. METHODS: An overview of systems for needle placement was assembled, including those found in scientific publications and patents, as well as those that are commercially available. The systems are categorized by function and tabulated. RESULTS: Over 40 systems were identified, ranging from simple passive aids to fully actuated robots. CONCLUSIONS: The overview shows a wide variety of developed systems with growing complexity. However, given that only a few systems have reached commercial availability, it is clear that the technical community is struggling to develop solutions that are adopted clinically. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Classroom to Clinic: Merging Education and Research to Efficiently Prototype Medical Devices.

Innovation in patient care requires both clinical and technical skills, and this paper presents the methods and outcomes of a nine-year, clinical-academic collaboration to develop and evaluate new medical device technologies, while teaching mechanical engineering. Together, over the course of a single semester, seniors, graduate students, and clinicians conceive, design, build, and test proof-of-concept prototypes. Projects initiated in the course have generated intellectual property and peer-reviewed publications, stimulated further research, furthered student and clinician careers, and resulted in technology licenses and start-up ventures.

Smaller and deeper lesions increase the number of acquired scan series in computed tomography-guided lung biopsy.

PURPOSE: To determine factors influencing the number of acquired scan series and subsequently the radiation dose and time during computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant, institutional review board-approved, retrospective study reviewed 50 consecutive procedures. Each procedure was separated into the following steps: trajectory planning, needle placement, needle insertion (extrapulmonary and intrapulmonary), and sampling and follow-up. The number of scan series, time, and radiation dose were calculated for each procedure and its steps. The effects of patient characteristics (age, sex, history of surgery that violated the pleura), procedure characteristics (needle-pleural angle, patient position), and lesion characteristics (size, depth, lobar location) on the number of scan series for the procedure and each step were evaluated using stepwise linear regression. The overall diagnostic accuracy, pneumothorax rate, and chest tube insertion rate were also calculated. RESULTS: The mean number of total CT scans was 21, the mean effective dose was 14 mSv, and the mean entrance skin dose was 249 mGy. On average, trajectory planning and needle insertion contributed most to the number of scan series (18.5% and 52.9%, respectively). For trajectory planning, a smaller lesion size and shallower needle-pleural angle were associated with an increased number of scans (R(2)=0.200, P=0.005). During needle insertion, smaller lesions were associated with increased scanning (R(2)=0.296, P<0.001), with both smaller and deeper lesions associated with an increased number of scans during the intrapulmonary component (R(2)=0.372, P<0.001). For the entire procedure, smaller lesions were associated with an increased number of scans (R(2)=0.12, P=0.01). CONCLUSION: Lesions that are smaller or deeper in the lung result in a higher number of CT scans, resulting in increased radiation dose and procedure time, with most of these performed during the needle insertion step.

Human factors design for intuitive operation of a low-cost, image-guided, tele-robotic biopsy assistant.

This paper details the design and interface development of Robopsy, an economical, tele-operated, patient mounted, disposable needle guidance and insertion system to assist radiologists in performing minimally invasive percutaneous biopsies remotely under CT guidance. Testing with a phantom in a realistic surgical setting was conducted to ensure that the interface was intuitive and facilitated smooth integration of the device into current procedure. Ease of learning and operation is critical in order to encourage rapid adoption of this new medical robotics model.