I-Corps: Translation Potential of Simultaneous Musculoskeletal Assessment with Real-Time Ultrasound

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响是开发实时超声技术的肌肉骨骼同步评估，使运动训练和肌肉骨骼损伤后康复期间的肌肉功能监测成为可能。这项创新能够定量、量化地跟踪康复效果，从而利用非侵入性肌肉水平成像提高患者的康复进度。这种可穿戴超声波技术的发展可能会改变运动员康复和军事人员训练。通过实时客观评估肌肉对康复计划的反应，该技术可以以各种方式缩短恢复期。对于运动医学人员来说，它可以作为一种工具，通过监测运动员肌肉骨骼损伤后的康复情况，来微调重返赛场。同样，军事训练中心可以利用这个工具来测量新兵的训练，并使用特定的疲劳生物标志物来监测战士在任务前后的肌肉准备情况。这种监测康复结果和作战准备的多方面方法可应用于医疗康复、运动员表现优化和军事训练效率。这个I-Corps项目利用体验式学习和对行业生态系统的第一手调查来评估该技术的翻译潜力。该解决方案是基于实时超声系统同步肌肉骨骼评估的发展，该系统可以在康复锻炼期间进行详细的肌肉水平评估，而不会妨碍人体运动。该系统结合了超声成像的实用性和小型、多地点、非侵入式可穿戴传感器的灵活性，这是传统手持式超声系统无法达到的能力。该系统在动态任务中利用运动模式成像，为发现新的生物标志物和实时洞察肌肉骨骼健康和恢复过程提供了机会。正在进行的研究表明，这种创新提供了一种可靠的方法来评估康复活动期间的肌肉功能，监测肌肉恢复的进展，并提供精确、实时的肌肉骨骼健康客观数据。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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 of this I-Corps project is the development of a Simultaneous Musculoskeletal Assessment with Real-Time Ultrasound technology that enables muscle function monitoring during athletic training and rehabilitation post-musculoskeletal injuries. This innovation enables quantitative, metricized tracking of rehabilitation effectiveness, thereby enhancing the patient's recovery progress using non-invasive muscle-level imaging. Developments in such wearable ultrasound technologies can potentially transform athlete rehabilitation and military personnel training. By enabling real-time objective evaluations of muscle response to rehabilitation programs, the technology could shorten recovery periods in varied ways. For sports medicine staff, it could be used as a tool for fine-tuning return to play by monitoring rehabilitation post musculoskeletal injury in athletes. Similarly, military training centers could leverage this tool to measure new recruits' training and monitor a warfighter's muscle readiness pre- and post-mission, using specific fatigue biomarkers. This multifaceted approach to monitoring rehabilitation outcomes and operational readiness could be applied to medical rehabilitation, athlete performance optimization, and military training efficiency.This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. The solution is based on the development of a Simultaneous Musculoskeletal Assessment with Real-Time Ultrasound system that enables detailed muscle-level assessments during rehabilitation exercises, without obstructing human movement. This system combines the utility of ultrasound imaging with the flexibility of small, multi-site, non-intrusive wearable sensors—a capability beyond the reach of conventional hand-held ultrasound systems. This system utilizes motion-mode imaging for subjects during dynamic tasks, unlocking opportunities to discover novel biomarkers and insights into musculoskeletal health and recovery processes in real-time. Ongoing research demonstrates that this innovation offers a reliable means to evaluate muscle function during rehabilitation activities, monitor the progression of muscle recovery over time, and deliver precise, real-time objective data on musculoskeletal health.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.