Robotic Prosthesis Alignment System: RoboPAL

描述（由申请人提供）：接受腔相对于下肢假肢足部的定位对于残肢的舒适性、功能和健康以及完整的肌肉骨骼系统至关重要。实现适当的对准目前是一种耗时且不精确的技术，其需要修复师的相当大的技能和努力，并且不允许由患者直接控制。拟议项目将大大推进调整进程。所提出的工作的目的是创建一个机器人假肢对齐系统（RoboPAL），使下肢假肢的对齐，以迅速调整机器人控制。该系统将允许修复师和患者通过手持控制单元与集成有标准模块化组件的致动器单元进行无线通信来指定对准变化。该技术将使假肢专家能够专注于“大局”（即消除手握扳手在地板上的时间），并通过直接控制调整使患者能够更充分地参与。此外，该系统将能够接受来自计算机化假体对线系统（ComPAS）的输入，这是一种单独的技术，可测量通过假体传递的载荷，计算错位的大小和方向，并输出建议的对线修改的方向和大小。当RoboPAL和ComPAS一起使用时，结果将是自动对齐肢体。该系统还为远程医疗应用打开了大门-由经验丰富的从业人员通过网络流视频在没有适当假肢护理的地区观察患者，直接控制调整。在拟议的工作中，我们将设计和构建原型系统，评估人类受试者的性能和可行性，并与临床假肢的受试者和同事一起审查结果。该项目将推进下肢假肢组件对齐的重要过程。该技术将允许修复师快速，轻松地调整对齐，并且比目前可能的方式更好地控制。它还将允许患者直接参与肢体对齐，并将使通过远程医疗范例远程完成对齐成为可能。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Positioning of the socket relative to the foot of a lower limb prosthesis is critical to comfort, function, and health of the residual limb and intact musculoskeletal system. Achieving proper alignment is currently a time- consuming and imprecise art that requires considerable skill and effort on the part of the prosthetist, and permits no direct control by the patient. The proposed project will significantly advance the alignment process. The objective of the proposed work is to create a Robotic Prosthetic Alignment system (RoboPAL) that enables the alignment of lower limb prostheses to be rapidly adjusted by robotic control. The system will allow both the prosthetist and the patient to specify alignment changes via a hand-held control unit communicating wirelessly with an actuator unit integrated with standard modular components. The technology will permit the prosthetist to concentrate on "the big picture" (i.e. eliminate time on the floor with wrenches in hand), and will enable the patient to participate more fully by directly controlling adjustments. In addition, the system will be capable of accepting input from the Computerized Prosthetic Alignment System (ComPAS), a separate technology that measures loads transmitted through the prosthesis, calculates magnitude and direction of misalignment, and outputs direction and magnitude of advised alignment modifications. When RoboPAL and ComPAS are used together, the result will be an auto-aligning limb. The system also opens the door for telemedicine applications - adjustments directly controlled by experienced practitioners observing patients via web-streamed video in areas without adequate prosthetic care. In the proposed work, we will design and build the prototype system, evaluate performance and feasibility with human subjects, and review the results with the subjects and colleagues in clinical prosthetics. This project will advance the important process of aligning the components of lower limb prostheses. The technology will allow the prosthetist to adjust the alignment quickly, easily, and in a more well-controlled manner than is currently possible. It will also allow the patient to directly participate in aligning the limb, and will make it possible for alignment to be accomplished remotely through a telemedicine paradigm.