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

NRI：合作研究：用于量化和治疗人体脊柱异常曲线的动态支架

• 批准号: 1527087
• 负责人: Sunil Agrawal
• 金额: $ 86.2万
• 依托单位: Columbia University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2020-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1527087&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NRI; Collaborative; Research; Dynamic; Braces

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.

特发性脊柱侧弯是一种脊柱出现强烈的左/右弯曲，形成 C 形或 S 形而不是直线的疾病。大约 2% 至 3% 的青少年患有这种疾病，其中约五百分之一的人需要佩戴矫正支架直至骨骼成熟，约五千分之一的人需要进行脊柱手术。典型的脊柱侧弯支具佩戴在躯干和臀部周围，完全固定上半身，这大大降低了生活质量。该项目将展示一种混合动力支架，用于矫正脊柱侧凸，同时尽量减少对日常生活活动的影响。根据个人佩戴者的治疗需求量身定制的顺应性被动支具允许更大的活动自由度，但无法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校正力，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。结果本质上是一个可连续监测和响应用户需求的可穿戴机器人。该项目将为动态支撑协作机器人的设计以及评估其对异常脊柱的量化和治疗的有效性奠定科学基础。这些动态支架的设计目的是将脊柱上的矫正力调节到所需的方向，同时仍然允许用户进行日常生活中的典型活动。该项目将研究动态支架有可能改变该领域治疗方法的假设，因为它们可以在空间和时间上有效控制脊柱上的矫正力。科学研究将描述特定姿势和不同功能下脊柱的空间刚度。这些研究将针对脊柱异常受试者的治疗结果。此外，该项目还将培训学生进行跨学科研究，并将在未来举办对工程师、临床医生、医疗护理人员和高中生有吸引力的研讨会和课程，从而激励 STEM 领域的职业发展。