SBIR Phase I: Wearable Robotic Knee Osteoarthritis Active Living Assistant - KOAALA

SBIR 第一阶段：可穿戴机器人膝关节骨关节炎主动生活助手 - KOAALA

• 批准号: 1248325
• 负责人: John Rokosz
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Adicep Technologies, Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-01-01 至 2013-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1248325&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Wearable; Robotic; Knee

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project develops a leg-brace that monitors, and potentially prevents the progression of Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA). Research shows that Knee Adduction/abduction Moment (KAM) is a key marker in KOA progression and a valuable tool in managing treatment, but is difficult and expensive to measure with existing techniques for all but the simplest activities. The proposed brace addresses the monitoring and early intervention of KOA by producing high resolution KAM and gait data during all Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and easing customer acceptance of wearing robotic devices by minimizing the device's ADL interference, while making it easier to walk with less fatigue. It also limits the maximum knee joint force (potentially slowing KOA progression, as repetitive high knee joint loadings are believed to exacerbate KOA); Phase I research objectives include: create/integrate KAM sensors and a wireless capability into an existing device; bench test a prototype brace; compare the brace's KAM/gait parameter measurements against existing KAM/gait measurement techniques; and create an early stage infrastructure software application that presents the KAM/gait data to managing clinicians. Anticipated results include demonstrating feasibility of software development and that measured KAM data compares favorably to existing measurement techniques.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project stems from its impact on KOA, a disease causing mobility dysfunction amongst an estimated 12% of the world's elderly population. Existing medical management of KOA is difficult in part because there is no low cost procedure for monitoring KOA progression. Treatment typically occurs after KOA begins interfering with Activities of Daily Living, via a staged process starting with training programs with the goal of reducing the tibiofemoral force on the diseased knee compartment for mild cases, progressing to drugs and offloading braces for moderate pain cases and ending with a Total Knee Replacement (TKR) when the pain becomes severe. Total cost to the US health system for the 500K TKR procedures done in 2010 was $17.5B with projections of 3.5M TKR procedures costing $139B by 2030. A conventional vaccine for KOA currently does not exist; the proposed assistive technology is tantamount to a robotic vaccine with promise to slow KOA progression by reducing tibiofemoral force. A highly advanced leg brace, it also provides new tools for rehabilitation clinicians managing symptomatic KOA pain via training programs in remote settings. A successful project will enable researchers to address one of the world's major health problems.

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目开发了一种腿部支撑，可以监测并潜在地防止膝骨性关节炎(KOA)的进展。研究表明，膝关节内收/外展时刻(KAM)是膝关节骨性关节炎进展的一个关键标志，也是管理治疗的一个有价值的工具，但除了最简单的活动外，用现有的技术测量所有这些都是困难和昂贵的。拟议的支架通过在日常生活(ADL)的所有活动中产生高分辨率的KAM和步态数据来解决KOA的监控和早期干预，并通过将设备的ADL干扰降至最低来降低客户对佩戴机器人设备的接受程度，同时使行走更容易，减少疲劳。第一阶段的研究目标包括：创建KAM传感器并将无线功能集成到现有设备中；对原型支架进行台式测试；将支架的KAM/步态参数测量结果与现有的KAM/步态测量技术进行比较；以及创建早期基础设施软件应用程序，将KAM/步态数据呈现给临床管理医生。预期结果包括展示软件开发的可行性，以及测量的KAM数据与现有测量技术相比更有利。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力源于其对KOA的影响，KOA是一种导致全球约12%老年人口行动不便的疾病。目前对膝关节骨性关节炎的医疗管理是困难的，部分原因是没有低成本的程序来监测膝关节骨性关节炎的进展。治疗通常在膝关节骨性关节炎开始干扰日常生活活动后进行，通过分阶段的过程，从训练计划开始，目标是在轻度疼痛的病例中减少患病膝关节间隙上的胫股力量，对于中度疼痛病例，进展到药物治疗并卸载支架，当疼痛变得严重时，结束于全膝关节置换术(TKR)。2010年完成的50万次TKR手术给美国卫生系统带来的总成本为175亿美元，预计到2030年，350万次TKR手术的总成本将达到1390亿美元。目前尚不存在用于膝关节骨性关节炎的常规疫苗；拟议的辅助技术相当于一种机器人疫苗，有望通过减少胫股力量来减缓膝关节骨性关节炎的进展。作为一种非常先进的腿部支撑，它还为康复临床医生通过远程设置的培训计划管理症状性KOA疼痛提供了新的工具。一个成功的项目将使研究人员能够解决世界上主要的健康问题之一。