SBIR Phase I: Automatic debridement device

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将是改善美国约3800万人和全球7.8亿甲真菌病患者的生活质量，这是一个45亿美元的全球机遇。甲真菌病是一种严重的健康问题，无法治愈并影响生活质量。真菌感染会导致糖尿病足问题的严重程度，并可能导致组织坏死，最终导致下肢截肢。目前的治疗方法疗效有限，往往有严重的副作用；口服药物可能会导致肝脏损伤，而局部抗真菌药物和激光由于穿透致密且厚度可变的甲板的能力有限，疗效较低。该项目将开发一种自主机器人清创设备，以可靠、准确和均匀地减少病变指甲的厚度，这与激光或局部治疗相结合可以特别有效地改善结果。这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将设计、开发和建造一个工程原型，以展示基于适形扫描的新型甲真菌病精确清创治疗的可行性。这项技术提供了微米级的精确和均匀的指甲抛光，将指甲厚度降低到其结构但仍然安全的极限。将为用于验证设计和证明可行性的模型开发3D打印过程。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 I project will be to improve the quality of life for the estimated 38 million people in the US, and 780 million people globally, who are suffering from nail fungus (onychomycosis), a $4.5 billion global opportunity. Onychomycosis is a serious health problem without a cure and affecting quality of life. Fungal nail infections contribute to the severity of diabetic foot problems and potentially leading to tissue necrosis and ultimately lower limb amputation. Current treatments have limited efficacy, often with serious side effects; oral medications may cause liver damage, and topical antifungal drugs and lasers have low efficacy due to their limited ability to penetrate the dense and variable thickness nail plate. This project will develop an autonomous robotic debridement device to reliably, precisely, and uniformly reduce the diseased nail thickness, which can be particularly effective in combination with laser or topical treatments for improved outcomes. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will design, develop, and build an engineering prototype to demonstrate the feasibility of the novel conformal scan-based precise debridement treatment for onychomycosis. The technology offers precise and uniform polishing of the nail at the micron level, reducing the nail thickness down to its structural yet still safe limit. A 3D printing process will be developed for models used to validate design and demonstrate feasibility.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.