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形成强烈的左/右弯曲，形成C形或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，大约500人中有1人需要戴矫正支架直到骨骼成熟，大约5,000人中有1人需要脊柱手术。典型的脊柱侧凸支具围绕躯干和臀部佩戴，并且完全固定上身，这大大降低了生活质量。这个项目将展示一种用于矫正脊柱侧凸的混合动力支具，同时最大限度地减少对日常生活活动的影响。适应个体佩戴者的治疗需求的顺应性被动支架允许更大的运动自由度，但不能对姿势的变化或佩戴者状况的更渐进的演变做出响应。主动支架提供动态响应的矫正力，但需要耗电的电机，并大大增加了重量和复杂性。该项目将展示一种混合方法，提供运动自由度和动态响应，但没有完全主动设计的重量和功率要求。该项目将为动态支具协作机器人的设计奠定科学基础，并评估其在量化和治疗脊柱异常方面的有效性。这些动态支具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。该项目将研究动态支具有可能改变这一领域的治疗的假设，因为这些支具可以在空间和时间上有效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期间的空间刚度。这些研究将针对脊柱异常受试者的治疗结局。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的职业生涯。

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.