AI-controlled adaptive fitting device for prosthetics and wearable technologies

**“人体会改变形状，但假肢接受腔不会。“** 我们的身体在晚上比早上短大约1.5厘米。我们的脚和手在晚上更大。我们大多数人都不会注意到这些变化，因为我们穿着灵活的衣服，然而，如果你失去了一条腿，你就必须戴上一个假肢，这个假肢是用一个刚性的U形结构连接到你的身体上的，这个刚性的U形结构被称为“插座”。插座是由硬塑料制成的，以承载身体的重量和手工制作，以确保最好的定制适合遵循树桩的轮廓。然而，75%的截肢者不高兴，因为残肢每小时都会改变形状，而他们定制的刚性插座却不会。这导致不断的皮肤摩擦，造成疼痛的出血伤口和溃疡。目前，在英国、欧盟和美国，每年花费71亿英镑的公共资金为截肢者的余生更换多达4次的插座是目前最好的解决方案（不包括伤口护理费用：仅在英国就有24亿英镑（英国政府/APPG;2019））。截肢者需要像身体健全的人一样，不受病情影响的自信和富有成效的生活。因此，帝国理工学院伦敦，MTC和Unhindr开发了Roliner，使数百万人的生活变得独立。什么：** Roliner是一种套在残肢上的类似套筒的装置，然后再把假肢戴上。**如何：** Roliner使用人工智能来了解树桩每小时/每天的变化并适应它们。Roliner的人工智能读取残肢和承窝之间的实时传感器数据，通过应用程序学习截肢者的舒适偏好，并通过充气/放气Roliner的微通道无缝、连续地调整配件。**影响：** 假肢安装是截肢者维持日常活动的最大障碍。截肢者的生活依赖于合适的诊所，因此，在截肢的第一年内，六分之一的截肢者失去了工作。44.3%的工作年龄截肢者不从事经济活动，造成48.9亿英镑的生产力损失（Papadian Trust，2016）。Roliner的人工智能模仿临床实践并提供健全的步行体验将减少生产力损失，医院依赖性，并可能为NHS节省10亿英镑的插座调整，24亿英镑的插座伤口。由于生活质量和活动减少，截肢者迅速失去肌肉。35岁的截肢者每天带着假肢行走500米以上的概率为74%;而60岁时只有34%，几乎只能坐轮椅（资料来源：Geertzen，Jan et.al;2005年-下肢截肢者声称的步行距离。残疾和康复）。凭借首款无缝AI适配，Roliner可以将步行性能提高3倍，提供类似于健全身体的步行体验。减少插座引起的伤口减少感染的风险，增加流动性，从而减少肌肉损失。

**"Human body changes shape, but prosthetic sockets don't."**Our bodies are approximately 1.5 cm shorter in the evening, compared to morning. Our feet and hands are larger in the evening. Most of us don't notice these changes because we wear flexible clothes.However, if you lose a leg, you must wear a prosthetic limb attached to your body with a rigid U-shaped structure called a _socket_. Sockets are made of hard plastics to carry the bodyweight and hand-made to ensure the best custom fit by following the stump's contour. However, 75% of amputees are unhappy because the stump changes shape on an hourly basis while their custom-made rigid sockets don't. This leads to constant skin rubbing causing painful bleeding wounds and ulcers. Replacing sockets up to 4 times annually for the rest of amputees' lives is currently the best solution costing £7.1billion of public money in the UK, EU and US each year (Excluding cost of wound care: £2.4billion in the UK alone(UK-Government/APPG;2019)).Amputees need a confident and productive life unhindered by their condition, like able-bodied. Therefore, Imperial College London, MTC and Unhindr developed Roliner to make lives of millions independent.**What:** Roliner is a sleeve-like device worn on the stump before putting the prosthetic limb on.**How:** Roliner uses Artificial Intelligence to understand the hourly/daily changes in the stump and adapts to them. Roliner's AI reads real-time sensors' data between the stump and socket, learns amputees' comfort preferences via an app, and seamlessly and continuously adjust the fitting by inflating/deflating Roliner's micro-channels.**Impact:** Prosthetic limb fitting is the biggest barrier for amputees to maintain their daily activities. Amputees live dependent on fitting clinics, and therefore, within the first year of amputation, 1 in 6 amputees lose their jobs. 44.3% working-age amputees are economically inactive, costing £4.89billion in productivity loss(PapworthTrust,2016). Roliner's AI mimicking the clinical practice and providing able-bodied-like walking experience will reduce productivity loss, hospital dependency, and potentially save the NHS £1billion in socket adjustments, £2.4billion in socket wounds.Due to reduced quality-of life and activity, amputees rapidly lose muscles. The probability of an amputee walking with a prosthetic leg more than 500metres a day is 74% at age 35; while only 34% at age 60, becoming almost wheelchair-bound(Source:Geertzen,Jan et.al;2005-Claimed-walking-distance-of-lower-limb amputees.-Disability-and-rehabilitation). With first-of-its-kind seamless AI-adaptation, Roliner could increase walking performance x3 times, providing able-body-like walking experience. Reducing socket-induced wounds reduces risk of infection, increases mobility, which reduces muscle loss.