A Bioactuator-Driven Ankle Dorsiflexor Unit

生物执行器驱动的踝背屈肌单元

• 批准号: 7050658
• 负责人: BRADLEY D VEATCH
• 金额: $ 12.44万
• 依托单位: ADA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-04-03 至 2007-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7050658
• 关键词: ankle; assistive device /technology; bioengineering /biomedical engineering; biomaterials; biomechanics; biomedical equipment development; biotechnology; electronic stimulator; foot; functional ability; gait; medical rehabilitation related tag; orthotics; phantom model; polymers; portable biomedical equipment; rehabilitation; tensile strength

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A significant number of individuals in the U.S. are affected by diseases and injuries that give rise to a troublesome condition called foot drop. Diabetes mellitus, dysvascular diseases, peripheral neuropathies, and other conditions render some individuals unable to lift their foot effectively during their gait cycle, leaving them susceptible to falling or injury. Currently, ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are commonly used to orient the foot more favorably for ambulation, and functional electrical stimulation techniques are also being tried with some success. For some individuals, however, these approaches are not suitable or involve unacceptable medical risks. An attractive solution is an externally worn, easily donned system that restores coordinated powered ankle dorsiflexion in time with the wearer's natural gait cycle. In this three phase research program, ADA will leverage previous successful research with electroactive polymer actuators to develop such an ankle dorsiflexion system. Through earlier research funded by the NIH, ADA has demonstrated that its modular bioactuator technology-effectively prosthetic muscles-can power full-scale human upper-limb prosthetic appliances. The natural extension of this work to address the problem of foot drop was originally suggested by ADA'S network of supporting clinicians with the concurrence of the NIH's technical reviewers. In Phase I, ADA will demonstrate the technical feasibility of using electroactive polymer actuators to dorsiflex a simulated human ankle. Phase II will encompass the development of a complete functional system and clinical performance validations using human volunteer subjects. Commercialization will follow in Phase III, with the release of an ankle dorsiflexor product clinicians can prescribe for patients affected by foot drop.

描述(由申请者提供)：在美国，相当多的人受到疾病和伤害的影响，这些疾病和伤害会导致一种称为脚下垂的麻烦情况。糖尿病、血管障碍、周围神经疾病和其他疾病使一些人在步态周期中无法有效地抬起脚，使他们容易摔倒或受伤。目前，踝足矫形器(AFO)通常被用来更好地定位脚以便于行走，功能性电刺激技术也在尝试中，并取得了一些成功。然而，对于一些个人来说，这些方法并不合适，或者涉及不可接受的医疗风险。一个吸引人的解决方案是一个外部佩戴的、易于佩戴的系统，它可以根据穿戴者的自然步态周期及时恢复协调的动力脚踝背屈。在这三个阶段的研究计划中，ADA将利用之前成功的电活性聚合物致动器研究来开发这样一种脚踝背屈系统。通过由美国国立卫生研究院资助的早期研究，ADA已经证明了其模块化生物致动器技术-有效的假肢肌肉-可以为全尺寸的人类上肢假肢器具提供动力。这项工作的自然延伸，以解决脚下垂的问题，最初是由ADA的支持临床医生网络提出的，并得到了NIH的技术审查人员的同意。在第一阶段，ADA将展示使用电活性聚合物致动器来背部弯曲模拟人类脚踝的技术可行性。第二阶段将包括开发一个完整的功能系统和使用人类志愿者受试者进行临床表现验证。商业化将在第三阶段进行，推出一种脚踝背屈肌产品，临床医生可以为受足部下垂影响的患者开出处方。