I-Corps: RFID Surgical Tagging System for Early Detection of Bone Screw Loosening

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is a cost-effective method for preemptively monitoring bone screw loosening. The current medical diagnostic market is dominated by expensive and time-consuming scans and procedures such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans. These scans are costly and strain medical resources causing delays in the delivery of healthcare. The project will explore the commercial feasibility of streamlining the field of medicine, specifically in the diagnosis of bone screw loosening, through implantable diagnostic tools. Given the trend of preventative health care and growing need for healthcare cost reduction, developing a cost-effective method to diagnose bone screw loosening could augment both of these efforts. This I-Corps project is to ascertain which customer segment would value the improved diagnostic efficiency of the RFID surgical tagging system such that its commercial application could be realized. The RFID surgical tagging system is a novel method to detect bone screw loosening through an implantable tag placed on surgical screws. This system utilizes low-cost components and an intuitive, yet unique design based on previously patented technology. The original patented technology is used to determine the screw status of hardware on large manufacturing equipment such as rockets. The surgical tagging system yields actionable screw status data in a faster and more easily accessible manner compared to current diagnostic measures for bone screw loosening. Based on the above competencies, the RFID surgical tagging system provides a viable alternative to current diagnostic scans. Through the I-Corps cohort, the team will explore and discover which customer segment values this technology in the medical diagnostic market.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.