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

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是一种具有成本效益的方法，可以先发制人地监测骨螺钉松动。目前的医疗诊断市场主要是昂贵且耗时的扫描和程序，如X光、CT扫描和MRI扫描。这些扫描费用高昂，并对医疗资源造成压力，导致医疗保健交付的延误。该项目将探索通过植入式诊断工具简化医学领域的商业可行性，特别是在骨螺钉松动的诊断方面。鉴于预防性医疗保健的趋势和降低医疗保健成本的日益需要，开发一种经济有效的方法来诊断骨螺钉松动可能会加强这两方面的努力。这个i-Corps项目是为了确定哪些客户群会重视RFID外科标签系统提高的诊断效率，以便实现其商业应用。RFID手术标签系统是一种通过放置在手术螺钉上的可植入标签来检测骨螺钉松动的新方法。该系统利用低成本组件和基于先前专利技术的直观而独特的设计。独创的专利技术用于确定火箭等大型制造设备上硬件的螺丝状态。与目前骨螺钉松动的诊断方法相比，外科标记系统以更快和更容易访问的方式产生可操作的螺钉状态数据。基于上述能力，RFID手术标签系统为当前的诊断扫描提供了一种可行的替代方案。通过i-Corps团队，该团队将探索和发现医疗诊断市场中哪些客户群体重视这项技术。这一奖项反映了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 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.