I-Corps: Soft Ankle Foot Orthosis Using Artificial Muscle, DEAFO

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是增加了行动能力，从而提高了脚踝控制缺陷患者的社会融合。流动性与功能独立性和社会参与度有关。足踝的控制对活动能力起着至关重要的作用。相当一部分患有神经肌肉疾病的人群，如脑瘫(CP)儿童和中风后幸存者，生活在脚踝控制不足的情况下。我们的设计Deafo是一种柔软的机械化支架，帮助这些人走得更容易、更长。Deafo将为脚踝提供帮助和矫正，同时防止不适，以促进患者的行动能力，提高用户的生活质量。该项目将首先关注脑瘫人群(美国约70万人)，这是儿童中最常见的运动障碍。仅在美国，正大每年的直接和间接成本总经济负担就达115亿美元。这笔费用的很大一部分是由于脚踝控制不足而需要的辅助设备和体能训练。因此，Deafo的目标是同时提供脚踝辅助和身体训练，以促进运动恢复，随着时间的推移，这可能会降低这些成本。该公司的最终目标是将Deafo的应用扩展到中风后人群(美国约800万人)。这个i-Corps项目将是第一个轻便、无噪音、柔软和机械化的踝足矫形器(AFO)，它采用了基于介电弹性体(DE)的人造肌肉。因此，它被称为Deafo。跌倒的机会增加，步行速度低，是脚踝控制缺陷的主要后果。虽然这在800万到1000万人口中是一种常见的疾病，但这种病理的护理状态通常是一个基本的、笨重的、僵硬的、不舒服的AFO。此外，非机械化的AFO将脚踝固定在特定的角度，并导致继发性问题，如肌肉的废弃萎缩。Deafo将由基于介电弹性体(DE)的人工肌肉机械化。新型DE执行器柔软、轻便、紧凑、无声，具有类似肌肉的行为，并在该公司的实验室进行了基准测试。与其他机械化AFO相比，这些人工肌肉的柔软和无声操作将大大提高设备的舒适性和自然手感。与大多数机械化AFO不同，驱动装置中人造肌肉的控制器是专门为病理性行走开发和评估的，并在患有CP的儿童中显示出100%的检测可靠性。这个项目可以彻底改变脚踝控制缺陷的护理现状。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the increased mobility, and thereby, social integration for people with ankle control deficit. Mobility is associated with functional independence and participation in society. Sufficient ankle control plays a vital role in mobility. A significant portion of populations with neuromuscular disorders, such as children with cerebral palsy (CP) and post-stroke survivals, live with insufficient ankle control. Our design, DEAFO, is a soft mechanized brace to help these individuals to walk easier and longer. DEAFO will provide assistance and correction about the ankle while preventing discomfort, to promote mobility and improve the quality of life of the users. The project will first focus on the CP population (~700,000 in US), which is the most common motor disorder in children. CP's total economic burden, in direct and indirect costs, is $11.5 billion per year, in the US alone. A significant portion of this cost consists of assistive devices and physical training, needed due to insufficient ankle control. Hence, DEAFO will aim to provide both ankle assistance and physical training to promote motor recovery, which potentially decreases these costs over time. The company's ultimate goal is to expand DEAFO applications to post-stroke population (~8 million in US). This I-Corps project will be the first light-weight, noiseless, soft, and mechanized ankle foot orthoses (AFO), that deploy dielectric elastomer (DE)-based artificial muscle. Thus, it is called DEAFO. Increased chance of falls, and inefficient walking speed, are major consequences of ankle-control deficit. Although this is a common disorder in a population of 8 to 10 million, the status of care for this pathology, usually, is a rudimentary, bulky, rigid uncomfortable AFO. Furthermore, the none-mechanized AFOs hold the ankle fixed at specific angles, and cause secondary problems, such as disuse atrophy of the muscles. DEAFO will be mechanized by dielectric elastomer (DE)-based artificial muscle. The novel DE actuators are soft, lightweight, compact, and acoustically noiseless, with muscle-like behaviors, which is benchmark tested in the company's lab. The softness and noiseless operation of these artificial muscles will substantially improve the comfort and natural feel of the device in comparison with other mechanized AFOs. Unlike most mechanized AFOs, the controller that will drive the artificial muscles in the device has been specifically developed and evaluated for pathological walking and showed 100% detection reliability in children with CP. This project can revolutionize the status of care for ankle-control deficit.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.