Adaptive Prosthetic Limbs Enhanced by Machine Learning and Soft Robotics

**“人的身体会改变形状，但假肢的插座不会。”**我们的身体在晚上比早上矮大约1.5厘米。我们的脚和手在晚上更大。我们大多数人都没有注意到这些变化，因为我们穿着柔软的衣服。然而，如果你失去了一条腿，你必须戴上一个固定在你身体上的u形假肢，这个假肢的结构被称为“插座”。插座由硬塑料制成，以承载身体重量和手工制作，以确保最佳的定制配合，遵循树桩的轮廓。然而，75%的截肢者不满意，因为残肢每小时都会改变形状，而他们定制的刚性支架却不会。这会导致持续的皮肤摩擦，造成疼痛的出血伤口和溃疡。在截肢者的余生中，每年最多更换4次眼窝是目前最好的解决方案，在英国、欧盟和美国，每年要花费71亿英镑的公共资金（不包括伤口护理费用：仅英国就有24亿英镑（UK- government /APPG;2019））。截肢者需要一个自信和富有成效的生活，尽管他们的条件。因此，帝国理工学院和unhinder开发了Roliner，使数百万人的生活独立。我们通过之前一个成功的Innovate-UK项目证明了这个概念和可制造性，现在我们必须开发一个MVP（最小可行产品）。**用途：**护套是一种袖子状的装置，在装上义肢之前先戴在残肢上。**如何使用：** Roliner使用人工智能（机器学习）来了解树桩每小时/每天的变化，并适应它们。Roliner读取残肢和假肢窝之间的实时传感器数据，通过应用程序了解截肢者的舒适偏好，并通过Roliner的微通道无缝地、持续地调整配件。**影响：**假肢装配是截肢者维持日常活动的最大障碍。截肢者依靠装配诊所生活。因此，在截肢的第一年内，六分之一的截肢者会失去工作。44.3%的工作年龄截肢者没有经济活动，造成48.9亿英镑的生产力损失（PapworthTrust,2016）。Roliner的机器学习模拟临床实践，提供类似健全身体的行走体验，将减少生产力损失，减少对医院的依赖，并可能为NHS每年节省13亿英镑的套孔调整费用和24亿英镑的伤口护理费用。由于生活质量和活动能力下降，截肢者的肌肉会迅速丧失。35岁的截肢者每天用义肢行走超过500米的概率为74%；而只有34%的人在60岁时几乎只能坐轮椅（资料来源：Geertzen，Jan等人；2005-声称下肢截肢者的行走距离。-残疾与康复）。凭借其首创的无缝人工智能适应性，Roliner可以将步行性能提高3倍，提供类似于健全人的步行体验。减少由插孔引起的伤口可以减少感染的风险，增加活动能力，从而减少肌肉损失。

**"The Human body changes shape, but prosthetic sockets don't."**Our bodies are approximately 1.5 cm shorter in evenings, compared to mornings. Our feet and hands are larger in evenings. Most of us don't notice these changes because we wear flexible clothes.However, if you lose a leg, you must wear a prosthetic limb attached to your body with a rigid U-shaped structure called a _socket_. Sockets are made of hard plastics to carry the bodyweight and hand-made to ensure the best custom fit by following the stump's contour. However, 75% of amputees are unhappy because the stump changes shape every hour while their custom-made rigid sockets don't. This leads to constant skin rubbing causing painful bleeding wounds and ulcers. Replacing sockets upto 4 times annually for the rest of amputees' lives is currently the best solution costing £7.1billion of public money in the UK, EU and US each year(Excluding woundcare cost: £2.4billion in UK alone(UK-Government/APPG;2019)).Amputees need a confident and productive life despite their conditions. Therefore, Imperial College and Unhindr develop Roliner to make lives of millions independent. We proved the concept and manufacturability with a previous successful Innovate-UK project, and now we must develop an MVP(Minimum-Viable-Product).**What:** Roliner is a sleeve-like device worn on the stump before putting the prosthetic limb on.**How:** Roliner uses Artificial Intelligence(Machine Learning) to understand hourly/daily changes in the stump and adapts to them. Roliner reads real-time sensors' data between the stump and socket, learns amputees' comfort preferences via an app, and seamlessly and continuously adjust the fitting by inflating/deflating Roliner's micro-channels.**Impact:** Prosthesis fitting is the biggest barrier for amputees to maintain their daily activities. Amputees live dependent on fitting clinics. Therefore, within the first year of amputation, 1-in-6 amputees lose their jobs. 44.3% working age amputees are economically inactive, costing £4.89billion in productivity loss(PapworthTrust,2016). Roliner's Machine-Learning mimicking the clinical practice and providing able-bodied-like walking experience will reduce productivity loss, hospital dependency, and potentially save NHS £1.3billion p.a. in socket adjustments, £2.4billion in woundcare.Due to reduced quality-of life and activity, amputees rapidly lose muscles. The probability of an amputee walking with a prosthesis more than 500metres a day is 74% at age 35; while only 34% at age 60, becoming almost wheelchair-bound(Source:Geertzen,Jan et.al;2005-Claimed-walking-distance-of-lower-limb amputees.-Disability-and-rehabilitation). With first-of-its-kind seamless AI-adaptation, Roliner could increase walking performance x3 times, providing able-body-like walking experience. Reducing socket-induced wounds reduces risk of infection, increases mobility, which reduces muscle loss.