NRI: Collaborative Research: Dynamic Braces for Quantification and Treatment of Abnormal Curves in the Human Spine

特发性脊柱侧凸是一种脊柱向左/向右弯曲，形成C或s形而不是直线的情况。大约2%到3%的青少年患有这种疾病，500人中约有1人需要佩戴矫正支架，直到骨骼发育成熟，5000人中约有1人需要脊柱手术。典型的脊柱侧凸支架是在躯干和臀部周围佩戴的，并且完全固定了上半身，这大大降低了生活质量。该项目将展示一种用于矫正脊柱侧凸的混合动力支架，同时将对日常生活活动的影响降到最低。顺应性被动牙套是根据个人佩戴者的治疗需求量身定制的，允许更大的活动自由，但不能响应姿势的变化或佩戴者病情的逐渐演变。主动支架提供动态响应的矫正力，但需要耗电的电机，并且大大增加了重量和复杂性。该项目将展示一种混合方法，提供自由运动和动态响应，但没有完全主动设计的重量和功率要求。其结果本质上是一个可穿戴机器人，它可以持续监控并响应用户的需求。该项目将为动态支撑协作机器人的设计以及评估其量化和治疗脊柱异常的有效性奠定科学基础。这些动态支架将被设计成在期望的方向上调节脊柱上的矫正力，同时仍然允许用户进行日常生活的典型活动。该项目将调查动力支架有可能改变该领域治疗的假设，因为它们可以在空间和时间上有效地控制脊柱上的矫正力。科学研究将描述脊柱在特定姿势和不同功能时的空间刚度。这些研究将针对脊柱异常受试者的治疗结果。此外，该项目将培训学生进行跨学科研究，并将导致未来的研讨会和课程吸引工程师，临床医生，医疗护理人员和高中生，激励STEM职业。

Idiopathic scoliosis is a condition in which the spine develops a strong left/right curvature, forming a C- or S-shape instead of a straight line. Approximately 2% to 3% of adolescents suffer from the disorder, with about 1 in 500 required to wear corrective braces until skeletal maturity, and about 1 in 5,000 requiring spinal surgery. A typical scoliosis brace is worn around the trunk and hips, and completely immobilizes the upper body, which substantially degrades quality of life. This project will demonstrate a hybrid dynamic brace for correcting scoliosis, while minimally affecting the activities of daily living. Compliant passive braces tailored to the treatment needs of individual wearers allow greater freedom of movement, but cannot respond to changes in posture or more gradual evolution of the wearer's condition. Active braces provide dynamically responsive corrective forces, but require power-hungry motors, and greatly increase weight and complexity. This project will demonstrate a hybrid approach, providing freedom of movement and dynamic response, but without the weight and power requirements of fully active designs. The result is essentially a wearable robot that continually monitors and responds to the needs of the user.This project will lay the scientific foundation for the design of dynamic brace co-robots, and the evaluation of their effectiveness for both quantification and treatment of the abnormal spine. These dynamic braces will be designed to modulate the corrective forces on the spine in desired directions while still allowing the users to perform typical activities of daily life. The project will investigate the hypothesis that dynamic braces have the potential to transform treatment in this field, as these can provide effective control of corrective forces on the spine both spatially and temporally. The scientific studies will characterize the spatial stiffness of the spine in a specific pose and during different functions. The studies will target treatment outcomes in subjects with abnormal spine. Furthermore, this project will train students in interdisciplinary research and will result in future workshops and courses appealing to engineers, clinicians, medical caregivers, and high school students, motivating careers in STEM.