STTR Phase II: Monitor for Gait and Form Analytics

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是能够收集关于速度和步态/脚步的客观数据，从而清楚而详细地描述一个人实际上是如何在实验室外一步一步地移动的。大学、高中和休闲跑步者的初始市场代表着一个近期的机会，需求很高，进入门槛相对较低。在这个市场上使用这项技术有望将跑步者的表现提高高达20%，并减少跑步伤害。这一可提供服务的市场总额为7.76亿美元，并以每年29%的速度增长。在这个近期市场证明了这项技术之后，该技术有可能在步态分析方面获得更大的社会效益，包括实现对65岁以上美国人步态和平衡问题的持续监测和预测，每年有1150万人摔倒；提供更准确、更动态的数据来减轻糖尿病患者的脚压，其中180万人每年患有糖尿病足部溃疡。这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目将推动步态分析设备的发展，该设备将新型聚合压力传感技术与加速器和电子设备相结合，以收集、处理和可视化步速和步态/脚步打击数据。这种创新的压力传感技术利用导电聚合物材料和混合制造技术来生产100%固态的传感器阵列；作为聚合物，它们可以灵活、坚固且具有成本效益。在第一阶段项目中，根据优化的材料配方和传感器配置生产了传感器阵列，开发了用于该系统的印刷电路板和软件，并以长跑运动员演示了原型，以证明它产生了有意义的数据。这个SBIR第二阶段项目将完成原型的开发并扩大硬件产品的规模。该奖项反映了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 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is the ability to collect objective data on both pace and gait/foot strike to give a clear and detailed picture of how a person actually moves stride-by-stride outside of a laboratory. The initial market of college, high school and recreational runners represents a near-term opportunity with high demand and relatively low barriers to entry. Use of this technology in this market promises to improve runner performance by up to 20% and reduce running injuries. This overall serviceable available market is $776 million and growing annually at rate of 29%. After proving the technology in this near-term market, there is potential for the technology to achieve even greater societal benefit in gait analysis, including, enabling ongoing monitoring and prediction of gait and balance issues in Americans over age 65, 11.5 million of whom fall each year; and providing more accurate, dynamic data to offload foot pressure in diabetic patients, 1.8 million of whom sustain diabetic foot ulcers each year.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will advance a gait analysis device that combines a novel polymeric pressure sensing technology with an accelerometer and electronics to collect, process and visualize pace and gait/foot strike data. This innovative pressure sensing technology utilizes conductive polymeric materials and hybrid fabrication techniques to produce sensor arrays that are 100% solid state; as polymers they can be flexible, robust, and cost effective. Under the Phase I project, a sensor array was produced based on an optimized material formulation and sensor configuration, a printed circuit board and software were developed for use with the system, and a prototype was demonstrated with distance runners to prove it generates meaningful data. This SBIR Phase II project will complete development of the prototype and scale up hardware production.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.